Report: Bills did not want to be featured on 'Hard Knocks' in 2025
Report: Bills did not want to be featured on 'Hard Knocks' in 2025
It was announced at the league meetings this week by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that the Buffalo Bills have been selected to be featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" during training camp this summer.
It's the Bills' first time being featured on the show, though it is involuntarily so.
And, reportedly, the distinction is an unwanted one per Tim Graham of The Athletic.
"The Buffalo Bills do not want to be on 'Hard Knocks,'" Graham wrote. "They are not proud to be chosen for 'Hard Knocks.' They did not seek to be featured on 'Hard Knocks.' They loathe the idea of 'Hard Knocks.' Nobody from One Bills Drive told me this Wednesday because they didn't have to. I've covered the entirety of this administration and have had myriad conversations with coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane about the HBO show since they arrived eight years ago."
Graham went on to note that members of the team's front office and coaching staff have viewed the program historically as a "distraction".
Buffalo became eligible to be selected for the training camp series thanks to a new set of rules was introduced this offseason, expanding the pool of teams that could be chosen.
Previously, it was a rule that teams that made the playoffs in the past two years had the ability to opt out from participating should they choose to do so. Teams already featured in the training camp versions within the previous eight seasons, and teams with first year head coaches also got a pass, and teams that are part of the in-season division selected or next year's in-season division are not eligible.
The team qualifies under the new rules, as they have made the playoffs each of the past six seasons. Their training camp will take place at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York in the Rochester area.
They are currently the favorite in every game in their 2025 schedule, per ESPN Bet. Quarterback Josh Allen just had his first MVP season, and the team added significant talent in free agency and the NFL Draft this offseason. The club is also the feature of an upcoming Hallmark Christmas movie, will play their first game on SNF this season, and four of their first six games will be in primetime all while playing the send off season for their long time stadium.
While Buffalo has been long considered one of the smallest markets in the NFL, the Bills are certainly getting their time in the spotlight this year.
The show will premiere on HBO Max beginning Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. ET and air on Tuesdays through Sept. 2nd.
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