Minnesota Vikings now eligible for popular reality show after latest adjustments to requirements

One of the more popular shows in the sphere of the National Football League is HBO's Hard Knocks. If you haven't seen Hard Knocks, they follow a team throughout training camp and give fans insight not normally available to them. They also pick different players to profile all across the spectrum from stars, rookies, and […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Aug 3, 2024; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up during practice at Vikings training camp in Eagan, MN.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

One of the more popular shows in the sphere of the National Football League is HBO's Hard Knocks.

If you haven't seen Hard Knocks, they follow a team throughout training camp and give fans insight not normally available to them. They also pick different players to profile all across the spectrum from stars, rookies, and players on the fringes of the roster.

They have also done other versions of it, including the offseason one with the New York Giants and in-season one which just featured the entire AFC North. 

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Minnesota Vikings are now eligible for HBO's Hard Knocks 

The in-season and postseason shows had a different set of criteria than the training camp one, which had relatively rigid criteria.

Teams could have been forced to do the show if they met three criteria:

  1. They have not appeared on the show in the past 10 years
  2. Their head coach is not in their first season with the team
  3. They reached the playoffs in either of the previous two seasons

With that criteria, the Minnesota Vikings haven't been eligible to be on Hard Knocks since 2015 training camp, as it was Mike Zimmer's second season. That criteria has changed, mainly due to the lack of eligible teams. According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the criteria are now as follows:

  1. Does not have a first-year head coach
  2. Is not a member of the division to be featured in Hard Knocks: In Season for the upcoming or immediately subsequent season
  3. Has not been featured in Hard Knocks: Training Camp in the previous eight seasons
  4. Is not then exempt from selection based on such Club's participation in Hard Knocks or a similar access show prior to 2024 pursuant to parameters that existed at the time of such Club's prior participation

The Vikings are now eligible to be on the show for the first time and they would be a huge draw to the viewers. The only way the Vikings wouldn't be eligible is if they were announced to be on the in seasons version of the show. Head coach Kevin O'Connell, Justin Jefferson, and new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy are all individuals who would be a draw to the viewer outside of Minnesota. 

Would you want to see the Vikings on Hard Knocks? It's certainly possible now.

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