The NFL has picked the 2026 _Hard Knocks_ team. It also has picked the 2027 _Hard Knocks_ team.
For the first time ever, the NFL has announced the subjects of the long-running HBO docuseries for the next two installments. Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, it will be the [Seahawks in 2026 and the Patriots in 2027](https://x.com/adamschefter/status/2038790901758320806?s=46).
Neither team has ever served as the subject of the show. And both, obviously, made it to Super Bowl LX.
Once upon a time, the NFL exempted from _Hard Knocks_ consideration any team that had made it to the playoffs within the past two seasons. That factor is obviously now long gone.
The NFL also started in-season _Hard Knocks_ several years ago. In recent seasons, it has focused on an entire division. Presumably, the 2026 installment won’t focus on the NFC West — and the 2027 version won’t center on the AFC East.
The league had a one-year run of offseason _Hard Knocks_. It was so revealing (in a bad way) for the Giants that the experiment ended after one year.