Hard Knocks is a reality sports documentary television series produced by NFL Films for HBO.

The series depicts the personal and professional lives of players, coaches, and staff, including their family life, position battles, and even inside jokes and pranks.

It particularly focuses on rookies' adjustments to playing in the NFL, usually with emphasis on the team's most recent top draft pick.

In 2024, the series expanded to cover a team in the off-season (New York Giants), during training camp (Chicago Bears), and will feature an entire division during the regular season (AFC North).

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell subsequently said that he wanted more teams to be featured on the series, on "some kind of formal rotation.

"[5][6] Despite the difficulty each year in finding a team willing to participate, NFL Films announced on July 18, 2013, that it had signed a "multiyear" contract extension with HBO to continue producing the show.

Teams are exempt from being forced to participate in three circumstances: (1) they have appeared in the past ten years, (2) they have a first-year head coach, or (3) they reached the playoffs in either of the two preceding seasons.

On May 29, 2012, Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin announced that the team would participate in the 2012 season of Hard Knocks.

NFL rules stipulate that the league cannot force a team to be on the show if they have appeared in the past ten years, they have a first-year head coach, or they reached the playoffs in either of the two preceding seasons.

[8][54] Prior to the 2023 season, only four teams (the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints) met none of those qualifications.

[54] The Jets' offseason was notable for the addition of four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers, who had months earlier requested a trade to New York from his former team, the Green Bay Packers.

"[57] ESPN's Adam Schefter subsequently reported that the Jets would deny HBO access to film some parts of training camp.

One particular aspect cited was the team meeting with players to inform them that they had been cut from the roster, an element that had been featured in prior seasons of the show.

[63] In 2004, NFL Films produced a training camp documentary series, similar to Hard Knocks, that featured the Jacksonville Jaguars.