49ers GM John Lynch makes opposition to 'Hard Knocks' clear

The Niners have never appeared on the show, while the Dallas Cowboys have been on the program three times and the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets have all appeared twice. The Jets just completed their second go-around, after having previously been on the series in 2010.

It was reported in June that there's a "formula" that was "developed several years ago" for how "Hard Knocks" chooses who is eligible to be that summer's star group.

Teams that can be considered for the assignment include those without a new head coach, those who haven't been to the playoffs in either of the last two seasons and those that haven't been on the show in the last 10 years. Therefore, Lynch's plan to continue to make the postseason should still work.

San Francisco has only been to the playoffs eight times in the 22-year stretch since "Hard Knocks" debuted in 2001, but since not making the tournament for eight straight years from 2003-10, they've made it six times in the last 12 seasons. Furthermore, the 49ers have made the postseason three times in the last four years and are a popular Super Bowl pick this season.

After the Baltimore Ravens were the focus of the debut season in 2001 and the Cowboys were the stars in 2002, the show went on hiatus until 2007 when it came back with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Despite missing the playoffs for five straight years from 2014-18, San Francisco would've been ineligible for consideration to be on the show for the first four seasons of the run of ineptitude due to their postseason appearance in 2013 and then a string of new head coaches.

Jim Tomsula took over for Jim Harbaugh ahead of the 2015 campaign and lasted just one year in the Bay Area, leading the franchise to a 5-11 record. Chip Kelly led the way in a disastrous 2-14 season in 2016 and current head coach Kyle Shanahan followed with his first year in 2017.

If the current formula for team selection remains, the Niners will be able to avoid the opportunity to star on the HBO hit in 2024 as well, due to their playoff appearance last season.

It sounds like Lynch wants to avoid the reality series as long as possible, but it would certainly be interesting to see the likes of quarterback Brock "Mr. Relevant" Purdy, superstar running back Christian McCaffrey and stud tight end (and one of the NFL's characters) George Kittle on the program.