‘Hard Knocks’ Producer On What Makes Docuseries Special, Why The Seattle Seahawks Won The Super Bowl & Teases 2027’s ‘Offseason’

Hard Knocks gives an inside look at how NFL teams gear up for football season, and this year, the HBO and NFL Films docuseries featured the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks. As the season wraps up, Deadline spoke to NFL Films’ Talent and Field Producer Kaley Campen to get insight into what made this particular series special. “I think it was a really unique experience this year, knowing that they were coming off a Super Bowl win,” Campen says. “We’re always trying to highlight those guys who are fighting for a roster spot, and in this case, those roster spots are even harder to come by just knowing how talented this team is.” She continued, “Just to kind of go in with that mindset and know that you know every NFL roster is hard to make, but this roster is even harder, was just really unique for us.” Watch on Deadline One of the first things Campen tells us they filmed with the team was their Super Bowl ring ceremony, which opened the season. After a little fumble from Quarterback Sam Darnold, who dropped his ring while opening the box it came in, a drone shot welcomed viewers to the training facility that mesmerized viewers, a shot reminiscent of 2021’s Training Camp with the Dallas Cowboys. “I think this is one of the prettiest training facilities we’ve been able to be at and capture,” Campen noted. “Just walking out for the first time when we visited and seeing the water right on the practice fields and bald eagles flying around. It really is such an amazing spot to be and capture. But for these guys to play football every day, it’s definitely special. And I think that was one of our favorite parts of this Hard Knocks: being able to capture the beauty of Seattle, the area around the facility, and the facility itself.” Hard Knocks captures a moment in time and the process each player takes to either make the team or continue improving themselves for the following season. One special moment was when Darnold recalled being a kid watching the docuseries at home and seeing the players get mic’d up, wearing their pads, and hearing the distinctive sound they make. “That first day of pads I think was really special for a lot of us who are working on the show because we’re able to kind of break that fourth wall of what we do, but also hearing in real time how much a lot of these guys have grown up with watching NFL films mic’d up, and those iconic sounds and shots that we have you know captured over the years,” Campen explained. “There’s coaches on the team who told us their kids are watching Hard Knocks, and I think there’s a really neat way of showing young kids who watch their favorite team or their favorite player every Sunday. But when they get to watch Hard Knocks, they get to see the hard work that gets put in, and you know what they can actually maybe achieve. You know, if they really put that work in long-term and want to reach that goal themselves.” HBO Being a fly on the wall is precisely what Hard Knocks makes viewers feel like in the moment when Head Coach Mike Macdonald reprimands linebacker Derick Hall for getting too close to a quarterback. Campen notes that the moment “showed a realness of football and the fact that what they love about Derick Hall is also what they can hate at times — his competitiveness.” Cameras not only captured Coach Macdonald in a tense moment, but also showcased his vulnerable side. During one of the team meetings, Macdonald paid homage to O. J. Brigance, who died on August 17. While talking to his team about what made O. J. so special, Macdonald broke down in tears. “I think it speaks to just the relationships he has with his players, and that open communication that they can share the happy things like all the baby announcements, but they can also talk about the tough things like a loss and what that means, and maybe why his energy is the way it is that day,” Campen explained. “So I think again, it just speaks volumes to that relationship that he’s built with his players and the respect that they have for him.” HBO To make Hard Knocks happen every week, Campen detailed that there are five directors on the field and an entire editing team at NFL Films in New Jersey. Footage is sent to the editors daily, and they share updates on the day’s events. With other NFL Films shows like Netflix’s Quarterback and Receiver, Campen explains that the way that Hard Knocks continues to stay fresh is because “there is no other look at making an NFL team than this show,” adding, “It is the hardest month and a half that I think NFL players go through. That process is like nothing else, and at the end of the day, seeing guys fight for their dreams to come true to be on an NFL roster is kind of everything. “I think that’s really how Hard Knocks has really stood the test of time, and just that longevity of that. Because at the end of the day, you know, to see a guy make the 53-man roster for the first time in his life is just really nothing like it,” she says. In late August, NFL Films and HBO confirmed that Hard Knocks: In-Season would not air, and that the Offseason edition would return in 2027, featuring the players at the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency, and the NFL Draft. “We did [Hard Knocks: Offseason] with the New York Giants a couple years ago, so it’ll kind of look similar to that,” Campen teased. “But I think really giving fans… pulling back that layer of a different side, the front office side, and going through the combine and the draft and free agency and what happens when fans put pause on the football season and maybe aren’t paying attention as much. I think really giving people an inside look at how that personnel scouting side really works, what they do behind the scenes to build an NFL roster.” HBO Over the years, some players have shared their gripes about having to do Hard Knocks, with some saying it’s disruptive to the team. Campen explained that forgoing the In-Season edition for the Offseason was the league “just looking at trying different models of things [and] giving fans different looks.” “I think just changing it up to make sure that we’re keeping things exciting and keeping fans on their toes with what we’re producing in the years to come,” she added. “I think that definitely plays a part in it.” On what Campen learned about the Seattle Seahawks following this season of Hard Knocks, she said, “I would say how close-knit they are. Coach McDonald and their general manager John Schneider. They have a really great relationship, and you can see how closely they work together. And I think that just trickles down amongst the whole team. They’re really a true brotherhood. You saw guys be filled with emotion for one another when they got new contracts and had babies born this summer. I think just seeing how tight-knit they are, Seattle’s far from a lot of other places. So you can really see that they are a family here. They rely on each other. Their significant others rely on each other, and I just think it’s close, and it’s just different here for sure. There’s no secret to why they won a Super Bowl together.” Hard Knocks‘ season finale airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on HBO and streams on HBO Max.