Los Angeles Rams

Which teams could be forced into HBO's 'Hard Knocks' in 2016?

Published Jan. 5, 2016 11:50 p.m. ET

foxsports

With the 2016 NFL offseason officially here for a few teams, it means that the talks of HBO's "Hard Knocks" are officially underway.

Now, as we've seen in previous years, the show isn't exactly a fan favorite of many coaches, but that doesn't really matter, because a team can actually be forced into doing it. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk explains, the NFL has a rule stating that a team can be forced to do it if no one volunteers.

There are stipulations behind what teams qualify for the show, including that they can't have been on the show in the last 10 years. On top of that, they can't have a new head coach and must not have been in the playoffs in the last two years, according to Smith.

So, the list of lucky candidates? The Bills, Bears, Jaguars, Buccaneers, Raiders, Chargers, Rams and Saints. Obviously, if one of those teams (possibly the Saints?) has a coaching change, it would eliminate them from the running.

Another chance to see Rex Ryan on HBO? You can bet that many NFL fans would likely love to see that.