Last week, Minnesota Vikings fans were excited for the premiere of Receiver. The Netflix docuseries followed Justin Jefferson throughout the 2023 season, and, given people’s response to Kirk Cousins in Quarterback, many believed Receiver would be a great behind-the-scenes look at one of the most popular players in the league.
Eight episodes later, Vikings fans may have been disappointed. The first episode didn’t feature Jefferson at all. Instead, it was a pilot for Amon-Ra St. Brown and teammates Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Even when Jefferson appeared with Davante Adams in the second episode, his presence was short-lived before a hamstring injury sidelined him.
There were some interesting moments, such as Jefferson’s quip about his contract with Kevin O’Connell and his ride in an ambulance after suffering a pulmonary contusion in a game in Las Vegas. However, the receiver didn’t have as much appeal as the quarterback did, and it may be because the NFL has oversaturated its behind-the-scenes programming.
The NFL has done a perfect job dominating the sports calendar. The season runs from September to February, but the football machine keeps cranking out content ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine. Free agency and the draft follow, and they release the schedule in May. Minicamp and potential contract holdouts grab headlines in early June before everyone takes a deep breath over Independence Day.
Once July 4 is over, the machine kicks into full gear. Training camp begins at the end of the month, and fans start dissecting every frame of their favorite team during the preseason. The majority of the players that fans scrutinize during this time may not even make the final roster. Still, nobody cares because football has returned.
The NFL knows this and decided to enhance its ability to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the game people love. The process when Hard Knocks debuted in 2001 as a TV show that profiled the Baltimore Ravens during training camp. It continued with the Dallas Cowboys in 2002 but went on a hiatus until returning with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007.
Since then, the show has featured 15 teams. Fans have learned more about the players they’ve drafted to their fantasy teams, and some of the players are just trying to get a spot on the roster. It’s made stars out of Mike Zimmer, Dan Campbell, and Cleveland Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie, whose gut made him go viral in 2018.
NFL Films went all in on this type of programming in the early 2020s. In 2021, they created an in-season version of Hard Knocks. This year, they created an off-season version that followed the New York Giants’ front office.
Every iteration of the show has been a banger. However, it has lost its luster thanks to its formulaic approach. You could even argue that the show hit rock bottom when Hard Knocks with the New York Jets turned into an eight-episode diatribe from Aaron Rodgers, describing how he infiltrated the organization and tailored it to his exact requirements.
But it hasn’t stopped there. Quarterback was refreshing because it strayed away from that formula. It followed Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, and Marcus Mariota as they prepared for the most demanding position in sports and made time to balance their personal lives.
Given Cousins’ reserved nature, many were surprised when he turned out to be a normal dad who happens to play quarterback. They were also appalled when Mahomes became football’s ultimate bad guy. The reviews of Quarterback excited people for Receiver, but Receiver didn’t pack the same punch as it did a year ago.
Samuel and Kittle were arguably the most entertaining subjects in Receiver. However, they also play for a team that everybody outside the Bay Area loves to hate. While you felt bad that both of them lost in the Super Bowl, it wasn’t as soul-crushing knowing that Kyle Shanahan had just blown his third chance at a ring.
Adams was another interesting subject. However, several episodes turned out to be him griping about his role with the Las Vegas Raiders and throwing Jimmy Garoppolo under the bus.
Then there’s St. Brown, whose parents may have been more fascinating than his role on the Detroit Lions. While St. Brown’s journey to the NFC Championship game was interesting, his parents stole the show as his dad attempted to become football’s version of LaVar Ball.
Maybe it is just a disappointment that Jefferson wasn’t featured more. However, with an injury-riddled season and a team that went 7-10, his story wasn’t as compelling as some of his counterparts.
Perhaps the luster of the NFL’s behind-the-scenes program has started to wear off, but it’s not going anywhere soon. A switch to a different position, such as cornerback or edge rusher, seems to be a lock moving forward. Still, it may never capture the intrigue that Hard Knocks or Quarterback brought fans upon their debut.
