HBO won't have too many options when it comes time to choose which NFL franchise will be featured on their annual "Hard Knocks" series in the Summer of 2019.
Per league rules, teams can be chosen if they haven't done the show in the last 10 years, haven't been to the playoffs in the last two years and don't have a new head coach coming into the current season. Given that criteria, there are only five teams that can be forced to participate in the training camp circus.
Those five teams are: Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins. Of course, there are already odds on which of the five teams will be forced to take part and the favorites, according to BetDSI, are Jon Gruden's Oakland Raiders.
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The Raiders finished the 2018 season with a 4-12 record, have recently hired new GM Mike Mayock and are not sure where they'll even be playing in the 2019 season. Although that last detail will surely be figured out by the time training camp roles around, they certainly seem to be the most intriguing fit for the upcoming season of Hard Knocks.
The Giants - with Odell Beckham Jr., Eli Manning and Saquon Barkley - could also make for an interesting series. Of course, it doesn't appear that any of these franchises truly want to have all the cameras following their every move as they look to right the ship.
According to ProFootballTalk, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch want absolutely no part of HBO this summer.
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