Adam Schefter explains how ‘Hard Knocks’ finally landed the Patriots

“When the Patriots said they’ll do it next year, they said you’re in. You’ll do it next year. You’ve got 2027.”

Mike Vrabel Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

“Hard Knocks,” the football documentary series that airs annually on HBO, has been around since 2001, the year the Patriots won their first title.

The Patriots won six Super Bowls during Bill Belichick’s 24 seasons coaching the team. There have been plenty of memorable summers in Foxborough. Yet, somehow, the Patriots have managed to avoid participating in the series.

That is, until now. Earlier this week, the NFL announced during league meetings that the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks and runner-up Patriots will be the next two teams featured on “Hard Knocks.” The Seahawks will go first, appearing on the show this year. The Patriots will make their appearance in 2027.

So, how did the Patriots end up agreeing to participate? According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL called one of New England’s longstanding bluffs.

“Let me tell you why there was a double announcement, which we’ve never seen before,” Schefter said during an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast. “Because the NFL in recent years has struggled to get teams to do ‘Hard Knocks,’ and when the NFL asks teams to do ‘Hard Knocks’ during the summer, the answer they’re commonly told is, ‘we’ll do it next year.’

“So, the NFL has been asking teams to do ‘Hard Knocks’ and the answer is always we’ll do it next year, so what the NFL did is when the Patriots said they’ll do it next year, they said you’re in. You’ll do it next year. You’ve got 2027. Congratulations … they held their feet to the fire. Next year it is.”

The Patriots said in a press release that their absence from the show has largely been because of eligibility rules, which have since been changed.

“The NFL revised its selection criteria in recent years, removing an exemption for teams that had reached the playoffs,” the release reads. “The only remaining disqualifiers include having a first-year head coach or a recent appearance on the show. With Mike Vrabel set to be well established by 2027, the Patriots now qualify under the league’s guidelines.”

The Cowboys, Bengals, Jets, and Rams have all been featured on the show multiple times. The Ravens, who were the first team to do it in 2001, haven’t been on since. The most recent series featured the Bills last year. Every single team in the AFC East has done the show at least once, except the Patriots.

That’s set to change next year. Hard Knocks is finally coming to Foxborough.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.

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