HBO's 'Hard Knocks' Is Headed To Chicago Bears Training Camp

It looks like we're in for an early sneak peek at the start of the Caleb Williams era in Chicago. The Bears have officially been chosen as the featured team on HBO's Hard Knocks this summer.

While the program has followed NFL teams during training camp since 2001, this year marks Chicago's first appearance on the show. Team Chairman George McCaskey has long been opposed to allowing HBO access to the Bears, and he reiterated that sentiment during league meetings in March.

"We're told there is some interest in other teams being on the program, and we welcome that interest," McCaskey said.

But the Bears' storylines were too juicy for HBO's producers to pass up. In addition to bringing in No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams at QB, Chicago also touts a top receiver trio (D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and first-round pick Rome Odunze) and a top-10 defense looking to improve on a strong finish to last season.

Hard Knocks Will Be Everywhere In Bears Camp

But not everyone is thrilled about being followed by a film crew — including Odunze.

"I think, for me, I’d definitely be more comfortable not having the Hard Knocks in the building just because we’re all learning the new offense as rookies," Odunze told USA TODAY earlier this month. 

"Caleb has a lot on his plate already, so learning the offense and growing within the facility and setting a foundation for ourselves. So it would be something that, if it happened, we’d take it, and we would go forward with it and do it the best that we could. But I think it might be a little bit of a distraction for what we’re trying to accomplish."

RELATED: D.J. Moore Is Ready To ‘Ride Through H-E-L-L And Back’ With Caleb Williams

And Odunze certainly isn't the only one who feels that way. Last season, the announcement wasn't made until mid-July because the NFL had a tough time trying to find a team that wanted to participate. 

As if the spotlight on Caleb Williams isn't hot enough, an HBO camera crew will follow him through the duration of training camp.

(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The league, can, however, force teams to participate. And given the front office's very vocal opposition to being featured on the show in the past, that's likely what happened here.

Any team that doesn't have a first-year head coach, hasn't reached the playoffs in the last two seasons, or hasn't appeared on Hard Knocks in the last 10 years is fair game. That meant it was either the Bears, the Denver Broncos or the New Orleans Saints.

Presented with those other less-than-exciting options, it's no mystery why Hard Knocks is headed to the Windy City.

The season premiers at 9 p.m. ET on Aug. 6.