The Chicago Bears are one of four teams that can be forced into being featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks this summer.
The criteria for Hard Knocks is simple: 1) You’d have to miss the playoffs for the past two seasons; 2) You can’t have a first-year head coach; and 3) You can’t have hosted Hard Knocks in the past decade.
There are only four teams that meet all of those qualifications: the Bears, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Washington Commanders. But it doesn’t sound like Chicago will be forced into doing it.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the Bears are “very, very unlikely” to be featured on Hard Knocks this summer.
“I’m told (the NFL has) moved on to other teams that aren’t in that short list of four that can be forced to do it,” Florio said on 670 the Score’s Mully & Haugh.
Bears chairman George McCaskey previously stated he doesn’t want his team featured on Hard Knocks.
The #Bears are very, very unlikely be featured on "Hard Knocks," @ProFootballTalk told @mullyhaugh.
"I’m told (the NFL has) moved on to other teams that aren’t in that short list of four that can be forced to do it," Florio says.
Listen: https://t.co/tnkRVvuFS7 pic.twitter.com/8pYfilmhvE
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) June 20, 2023
There was a report last week that indicated that the NFL reached out to the Detroit Lions about possibly returning for a second consecutive season, indicating they’d like a team willing to cooperate.
While it doesn’t sound like the NFL wants to force a team that doesn’t want to participate, Florio made his stance clear.
“I think it would be great to force a team that doesn’t want to do Hard Knocks to do Hard Knocks,” he said. “That would be awesome.”
Nothing’s official until it’s announced, so we’ll see whether the NFL finds a team more willing or elects to force one of those four qualifying teams to be at the center.
