NFL Films VP on return of offseason ‘Hard Knocks’: ‘We hope it’s back’

There’s been plenty of speculation about the return of Hard Knocks: Offseason ever since the now-infamous conversation between New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and owner John Mara about the future of star running back Saquon Barkley last year.

If you’ve paid any attention to the current NFL season, you know that that conversation did not age well.

Barkley has had a career year for the Giants’ division rival Philadelphia Eagles, which has caused many to wonder why another team would agree to feature on a future season of Hard Knocks: Offseason.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, NFL Films VP Keith Cossrow was able to provide some answers.

“So you’re saying there is a chance we’re having this back or we’re definitely having it back,” McAfee posed to Cossrow.

“There’s definitely a chance. We hope it’s back. We’re talking to a bunch of teams about it. But we’ll see what happens. I mean, we need a willing participant on that one. We’re not going to force someone to do that show,” Cossrow said.

“That show is about a process,” Cossrow continued. “And I think it’s really cool to have been able to make a show about, ‘Hey we’re going to start in January and we’re going to have an endpoint after the draft. And you’re going to see how a group of people, faced with really difficult decisions, goes about making those decisions.'”

Cossrow did say that Hard Knocks: Offseason was not included in the Hard Knocks resolution passed last offseason during the owners’ meeting. That likely means if there isn’t a team willing to volunteer, it’s unlikely that the series will be renewed this year.