The Buffalo Bills will be going somewhere the team has never been before — the national audience of “Hard Knocks.”
Some fans aren’t sure how to feel about the honor.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced at league meetings on May 21 that the Bills would be featured on the HBO summer docu-series for the first time in franchise history. As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg reported, the NFL recently changed a rule that let teams making the playoffs in the last two seasons opt out, allowing the Bills to be featured for the first time.
Fans Nervous About Inside Glimpse of Training Camp
As Getzenberg noted, the Bills are already facing some additional pressure this season as they are the league’s only team to be favored in every game.
“The Bills’ 2025 campaign sees them currently favored in every game, per ESPN Bet, and with quarterback Josh Allen coming off his first MVP season,” Getzenberg wrote. “The team acquired free agents Joey Bosa and Joshua Palmer this offseason, while coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane are set for their ninth season together.”
The “Hard Knocks” crew will highlight the inner workings of the team’s training camp, with past iterations showing position battles and taking cameras inside the coach’s office when players are released.
Some fans questioned whether the attention would cause a distraction for the Bills, noting that last season general manager Brandon Beane joked about how he wouldn’t want to face the scrutiny that comes with the show.
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Others pushed back on the idea of the Bills, coming off five straight AFC East titles, being featured on a show that had traditionally focused on up-and-coming teams.
But many fans were excited by the inside look at how the team runs training camp and decides position and roster battles.
“The access Hard Knocks gives you is unmatched,” one fan shared in a post on X. “People being worried about curses or jinxes don’t make sense to me. What’s the worst that happens we don’t win the Super Bowl… that’s what has happened every year we haven’t been on Hard Knocks”
More Spotlight for the Bills
The “Hard Knocks” announcement came just a day after new details were released about an upcoming Hallmark Channel movie featuring the Bills. The film, “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story,” will feature cameos from a number of current and former Bills players.
“We are so excited to have a stellar ensemble cast that is truly an acting dream team,” said Samantha DiPippo, senior vice president of programming for Hallmark Media, via the team’s official website. “The addition of Coach McDermott along with the current Bills players and alumni gives us the winning combination to bring to life this heartwarming story that celebrates the bonds of family and community and, of course, there’s romance with a touch of Christmas magic.”
The movie will feature appearances from McDermott, running back Ray Davis, safeety Damar Hamlin, tackle Dion Dawkins, tight end Dawson Knox, and a host of former players including Super Bowl-era stars Jim Kelly, Steve Tasker, Thurman Thomas, Scott Norwood and Andre Reed.
