The Giants broke “Hard Knocks.”
The 2024 offseason version of the longstanding HBO show followed Big Blue and offered up loads of viral moments that NFL Films now understands were too successful.
“When that one or two clips about [former Giants running back] Saquon [Barkley] got removed and isolated and blew up on social media, and as we’ve seen, have taken on a life of their own, that certainly gives people pause in the NFL and in every other walk of life about doing these sorts of shows,” Keith Cossrow, the head of content, told Sports Business Journal.
“It’s funny, we all want to go viral, right? Not for the wrong reasons, but it’s a measure of success in the world we live in today. But it can also go in directions that nobody can predict.”
Among the more successful portions of the show — for NFL Films, at least — was Giants GM Joe Schoen’s infamous phone call with Barkley as they attempted to keep him in New York, owner John Mara saying he’d “have a tough time sleeping” if Barkley ended up with the Eagles (he famously did, and won a Super Bowl in his first season in Philadelphia) and the franchise’s unsuccessful attempt to trade up for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The virality left the production company hungry for a follow-up.
“One of the best, and most interesting, and most surprising shows we’ve ever made,” Crossrow said.
Therein lies the problem, however: the widespread broadcast of the Giants’ missteps scared every other team away from participating in a 2025 version.
NFL Films seemingly tried to pivot to Bill Belichick’s first season in the collegiate ranks with UNC, but that fell through in spectacular fashion.
The training camp version of “Hard Knocks,” featuring the Buffalo Bills, is in full swing, however.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
