HBO's Hard Knocks 2024 season casts the spotlight on the players and personnel of the New York Giants.
Starting in 2001, Hard Knocks is a reality docuseries made by the NFL and HBO. It shows a deep look into one team's season and pursuit of a Super Bowl Championship. Usually highlighting training camp, the regular season, and the playoffs, the 2024 season will be much more extensive.
This year, Hard Knocks will start in the offseason with insight into the NFL draft, free agent signings, and game plans for the new season. The Giants will also be one of three featured participants in 2024's Hard Knocks, as two other seasons will feature the Chicago Bears and the entire AFC North division (in-season).
The first episode of Hard Knocks' 2024 season will debut on HBO on Tuesday, July 2 at 9 p.m. ET, before arriving on Max.
The Players & Cast of Hard Knocks 2024
Listed ahead are the players and cast members of Hard Knocks 2024 (officially titled Hard Knocks: Offseason), this year focusing on the New York Giants.
Liev Schreiber
The longtime voice of Hard Knocks is Hollywood megastar Liev Schreiber, who serves as the show's narrator.
Schreiber has narrated all but one season of Hard Knocks since its inception (Season 3, highlighting the Kansas City Chiefs, was narrated by Paul Rudd).
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers described Schreiber's voice as "the voice of God" when speaking with KPIX Sports Director Vernon Glenn in 2023, as shared by Glenn on X (formerly Twitter). Rodgers called the actor's dulcet tones "one of the only things [he likes]" about the series.
Best known for his role as Victor Creed/Sabertooth in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Schreiber also plays roles in Spotlight, The Manchurian Candidate, and Ray Donovan.
- Instagram: @lievschreiber
- Wikipedia: Liev Schreiber
- IMDb: Liev Schreiber
Saquon Barkley
Playing a minor but pivotal role in the Giants' run on Hard Knocks is star running back (RB) Saquon Barkley, who was picked second overall by New York in the 2018 draft.
At six feet tall and 232 lbs, Barkley was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. His 91 receptions in 2018 broke the NFL record for most receptions by a rookie RB in a single season, and he was selected to two Pro Bowls in 2018 and 2022.
Sadly for the Giants, 2023 marked Barkley's last season in the blue and white, signing a three-year/$37.75 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in March (per NFL.com).
Trailers for Hard Knocks teased Barkley's final conversations with the Giants before he decided to move south, although his exit likely means a minor role in the show itself.
- Instagram: @saquon
- Wikipedia: Saquon Barkley
- IMDb: Saquon Barkley
Joe Schoen
Joe Schoen holds an important position as the senior vice president and general manager (GM) of the Giants, a job he took in January 2022. Previously, he was the assistant GM for the Buffalo Bills from 2017 to 2021 after spending more than a decade as a high-level scout and player personnel director.
A new trailer for the season teased a conversation from February 2023 between Schoen and Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan, discussing a potential trade of picks and players that may be available for trade.
Schoen also has to handle the fallout from Saquon Barkley's exit, looking to fill an open starting RB slot with somebody new to hopefully match Barkley's production.
The GM was quickly thrown into the fire upon taking the job with the Giants, hiring a new head coach, and selecting multiple players in the first round of the draft. He will aim to recover from missing the playoffs in 2023 after finishing with a 6-11 regular season record.
- Wikipedia: Joe Schoen
- IMDb: Joe Schoen
Brian Daboll
Ontario, Canada native Brian Daboll leads the New York Giants as the team's head coach Schoen hired him in 2022. This is his first head coaching position after serving as an offensive coordinator and/or position coach for various teams from 2000-2021.
Daboll led the Giants to their first playoff victory since 2012 in his first year as head coach, defeating the Minnesota Vikings (31-24) in the NFC Wild Card Round in 2022. He was also named the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
He has a 15-18 overall in his two years with the Giants and a 1-1 playoff record. In the third year of a five-year contract, Daboll hopes to turn the Giants around in the 2024 season even after losing multiple major weapons.
- Wikipedia: Brian Daboll
- IMDB: Brian Daboll
Xavier McKinney
The New York Giants selected University of Alabama safety Xavier McKinney with the fourth pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He played in 49 games (46 starts), totaling nine interceptions and 1.5 sacks over the last four seasons along with one playoff sack.
Like Barkley, McKinney's role in Hard Knocks should be minimal after playing his final games in New York in 2023.
In March 2024 (per ESPN), he signed a four-year/$68 million deal with the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay hopes he will replicate the success of safety Darnell Savage after Savage's move to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Following McKinney's exit, the Giants have yet another starting position to replace along with their running back opening.
- Instagram: @mckinney15__
- Wikipedia: Xavier McKinney
- IMDb: Xavier McKinney
Brian Burns
After being picked 16th overall by Carolina in 2019, linebacker Brian Burns spent five years with the Panthers, earning two All-Pro nominations. Thus far, he has 67 career starts in 80 games played and had 46 sacks on the field, the fifth-most sacks in Packers franchise history.
In March, NFL Insider Ian Rapaport reported a trade for Burns on X as Carolina sent him to the New York Giants for a future second-round pick and a future fifth-round pick.
He then signed a five-year/$141 million deal with the Giants, including $87.5 million in guaranteed money and a $25 million signing bonus.
Hard Knocks will highlight his arrival to the Big Apple as he looks to bring his defensive prowess to the Giants, who ranked 27th out of the NFL's 32 teams in total defense in 2023.
- Instagram: @brianburns99
- Wikipedia: Brian Burns
- IMDb: Brian Burns
Shane Bowen
The New York Giants hired Shane Bowen as the team's defensive coordinator in February. He previously worked as an offensive linebackers coach and defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023.
Bowen played linebacker at Georgia Tech University before a routine doctor's check-up revealed a cervical disc displacement, ending his playing career.
He transitioned to coaching as a student assistant in 2009, steadily working his way through the college and pro ranks before taking on the biggest job of his career in New York.
Wikipedia: Shane Bowen
Daniel Jones
After starring for the Duke Blue Devils in college, Daniel Jones became the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft as a new quarterback (QB) for the Giants. Jones was named as the backup to two-time Super Bowl Champion Eli Manning, although he made his first start in his third career game.
Jones shined as a rookie by setting multiple league records, including tying the mark for the most passing touchdowns thrown in a single game by a rookie QB.
Jones was then selected as the team captain in 2020, and in 2023, he signed a four-year/$160 million contract extension to stay in NYC. Unfortunately, he only played in six games in 2023, suffering a neck injury in Week 5 and a torn ACL in Week 8.
Ruled out for the rest of the season, Hard Knocks will show Jones' road to recovery as he rehabs his knee in hopes of returning to the field quickly.
He also hopes to return to the playoffs for a second time after going 1-1 in 2022, beating the Minnesota Vikings (31-24) before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles (38-7).
- Instagram: @danieljones3
- Wikipedia: Daniel Jones
- IMDb: Daniel Jones
Malik Nabers
In April's NFL draft, the Giants selected wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth pick of the first round.
In the trailer for the new 2024 season, Nabers is shown on a phone call with GM Joe Schoen shortly after he is selected. When Schoen asks him if he's "ready to be a New York Giant," Nabers enthusiastically responds, "Yes, sir. Let’s do this!"
Nabers was the MVP of the 2023 Citrus Bowl and was named a unanimous All-American in 2023 after leading college football with 1,569 receiving yards. He also finished as Louisiana State University's (LSU) all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,003 overall.
Nabers will be expected to help bring the Giants back to prosperity as a top-10 draft pick, although he will have to compete for the starting wide receiver job.
- Instagram: @cantguard_malik
- Wikipedia: Malik Nabers
New episodes of Hard Knocks air on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET before streaming on Max. The New York Giants' preseason starts against the Detroit Lions on August 8, and they open the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings on September 8.
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