Football
Giants’ 100th season to be feature in HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’
![Giants’ 100th season to be feature in HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ Giants’ 100th season to be feature in HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/05/15112634/GettyImages-2152367944-scaled.jpg)
Giants fans will be treated to an inside look into the franchise in a new iteration of Hard Knocks titled “Offseason With the New York Giants.” It’s the first time Hard Knocks will document the NFL offseason and the first time the show will feature the Giants since the series’ 2001 debut.
The newest version of Hard Knocks coincides with the team’s 100th season. It will document the offseason period from January until July, with camera crews filming everything from the NFL Scouting Combine to free agency to the draft and minicamps.
“As we enter our 100th season, we look forward to providing our fans with the opportunity to see what it takes to build an NFL roster,” Nilay Shah, who is the Giants’ senior vice president, marketing and brand strategy, said in a press release. “Beginning the moment the previous season ended, we gave NFL Films unprecedented access to this critical time of the year. We know viewers will gain insight from moments that have never been captured before and are excited for them to learn more about our Giants history.”
It’s been a pivotal offseason for general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll as they enter their third season at the helm. The quote from Shah indicates that from the moment the season ended, unprecedented access began. That leaves us wondering how much of the messy start to the offseason, featuring plenty of coaching staff turnover, will be included.
The Giants fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and parted ways with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale in an acrimonious split. Offensive line coach Bobby Johnson also was fired along with outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and his brother, defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins. It capped a 6-11 season, mired by coaching staff dysfunction as documented by The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.
Once all the new hires were made, the Giants went into March navigating the contacts of star-free agents Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney. Both departed in free agency, with Barkley to division rival Philadelphia and McKinney to Green Bay. The Giants later made a mega trade for Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns.
Other intriguing offseason notes to monitor: The decision to select wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 pick and what went into reported attempts to trade up for a quarterback in the draft.
The five-part series will debut July 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO with new episodes debuting subsequent Tuesdays through July 30. Liev Schreiber will narrate.
Required reading
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)