Report: Seattle in pursuit of hosting future NFL Draft

The Seattle Sports Commission is pursuing bringing the NFL Draft to Seattle in the near future, according to a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal.

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The sports commission is in the “expression of interest” phase for hosting the draft at some point between 2028 and 2030 and has yet to enter the formal bid stage, per the report.

The draft, which annually takes place in late April, is one of the main events of the NFL calendar each year and is known to draw hundreds of thousands of attendees. Last year’s draft in Green Bay drew an estimated 600,000 people over the three-day event. The 2024 draft in Detroit drew a record 775,000.

Cities that are interested in hosting the draft must submit proposals, and locations are chosen based on a vote from the NFL’s 32 team owners.

For 50 years (1965-2014), the draft was held in New York City. But the location of the event has moved to different cities since. Chicago hosted it in 2015 and 2016 followed by Philadelphia, Dallas, Nashville, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Detroit and Green Bay. The 2020 draft was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2026 draft is set to take place in Pittsburgh while the 2027 event is scheduled for Washington D.C.

Other cities that have been reported to express interest in hosting the event are Buffalo, Charlotte, Minneapolis and Houston.

Seattle has never hosted any of the NFL’s four tentpole events: the Super Bowl, draft, scouting combine and Pro Bowl. The city did recently host the MLB All-Star week in 2023, which included the All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, Futures Game and amateur draft. It is also hosting games for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to PSBJ’s report, the commission is also pursuing being a host for games in the 2031 men’s Rugby World Cup and the 2033 women’s Rugby World Cup, with Seattle being one of 27 cities and regions applying to host the 2031 World Cup. It is also likely to pursue games in the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup if a North American bid for the event led by the U.S. Soccer Federation and governing soccer bodies from Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica is successful.

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