NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to announce the site and the dates at a Tuesday afternoon news conference alongside Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel.
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It’s official: the NFL Draft, which drew 200,000 football fans to Grant Park this spring, will return to Chicago next year.
It’s not clear yet if Chicago is going to be the NFL Draft’s new permanent home…but, for the second year in a row, that’s where hundreds of NFL dreams will be realized.
“It’s about the national event”, Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s senior vice president of events, told The AP. “Our world class city will once again be transformed into Draft Town where NFL fans and players will gather as NFL teams make selections”.
There was speculation the league could move the event to another city following Chicago’s successful 2015 event. Chicago, however, delivered great logistics, including a fan-packed outdoor space in Grant Park. Last July, Goodell said 12 cities were interested, and the list was whittled down to Chicago and Los Angeles, with Chicago winning out.
As stated by NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, it is a one-year commitment for the 2016 draft, after which other cities could become involved in a bid for the 2017 draft. At least for another year, it’s coming right back to Chicago.
While not quite the Super Bowl, Chicago was the backdrop for 8.8 million TV viewers on ESPN and NFL Network during the first day of the draft alone, as stated by Nielsen.
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And Mayor Emanuel couldn’t be more pleased to see the Draft return to Chicago.
