Aaron Rodgers has been in the NFL for 18 seasons, and in that time, he has never been on “Hard Knocks,” but that’s going to change this year with the Jets being selected for the HBO show.
If you’re wondering how the four-time MVP feels about being on the show, it appears that he’s not a big fan. During an interview on July 12 in Lake Tahoe, where Rodgers is playing in the American Century Championship, the Jets’ new quarterback didn’t sound thrilled about being on the show.
“They forced it down our throats and we have to deal with it,” Rodgers told KPIX.
There were four teams eligible to be on the show — the Jets, Bears, Saints and Commanders — and Rodgers does get why the NFL ended up picking his team.
“I understand the appeal with us,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, there are a lot of eyes on me, a lot of eyes on our team, a lot of expectations for our squad.”
Although Rodgers doesn’t seem to be a huge fan of being on “Hard Knocks,” he did admit that he likes one thing about the show: Liev Schreiber.
“One of the only things I like about ‘Hard Knocks’ is the voice of God, the man who narrates it, Liev,” Rodgers said. “I hope I get to meet him.”
Rodgers isn’t the only person in the Jets organization who wanted nothing to do with “Hard Knocks” this year. Head coach Robert Saleh had said in early June that he would prefer NOT to see his team on the show.
“I know there are several teams that would love ‘Hard Knocks’ to be in their building,” Saleh said on June 9, via SI.com. “We’re just not one of them.”
The problem for the Jets is that they didn’t really have much say in the situation. Under the NFL’s rules for “Hard Knocks,” the Jets were one of four teams that league was allowed to force to be on the show. Another team could have volunteered, but once that didn’t happen, the NFL had to make a decision and the Jets were easily the most attractive team thanks to their blockbuster acquisition of Rodgers in late April.
With the head coach and quarterback both against the show, it will be interesting to see how the Jets respond to being on it. Of course, if it goes anything like the last time around, that could bode well for the Jets. The team previously appeared on “Hard Knocks” in 2010, which is mostly remembered for Rex Ryan telling his team to go eat a “God d— snack.”
The 2010 season was also the last time the Jets made the playoffs, so maybe “Hard Knocks” will turn out to be a good omen for the team. Also, the Jets ended up making it to the AFC title game that year, making them the only “Hard Knocks” team to ever reach a conference title game.
If the Jets can replicate that success, then there’s a good chance that no one in the organization will ever complain again about being on the show.
The “Hard Knocks” cameras will officially start rolling next week when the Jets report to training camp (July 19). The first episode of the show will air on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 10 p.m. ET. After that, a new episode will be released every Tuesday until the finale Sept. 5.
