The sports news out of Washington D.C. earlier today was that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held in the Nation’s Capital.
The setting for today’s announcement was a historic one. It was held at The White House with President Trump, Commissioner Goodell, Commanders Majority Partner Josh Harris and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in attendance.
Those of us who were drafted between 1965 and 2014 may recall hearing our names and new team announced from a hotel ballroom in New York. However, the Draft has grown in immense popularity and has been moved from city to city in the last decade with D.C. being the choice two years from now. Pittsburgh and the Steelers will host in 2026. An estimated 600,00 fans attended the three-day Draft last month in Green Bay, the league’s smallest community.
“We believe we will have a million fans when we come to D.C. in 2027,” Goodell said today. “We not only believe it’s a great site but we believe it’s consistent with what the President said. We want to continue to invest in our communities, specifically here in the nation’s capital.”
Goodell, Harris, and Mayor Bowser also were together last week at the National Press Club to announce a $3.7 billion stadium deal between D.C. and the Commanders. The new facility would be built at the site of the old RFK Stadium where many of us played in front of raucous, unfriendly crowds from 1961-96.
If the new stadium is built, can a D.C. Super Bowl be far behind?
Goodell at last week’s press conference said that a new D.C. stadium would “dramatically” increase the chances of a Super Bowl in D.C. The Commanders are “hoping” the new stadium can open in time for the 2030 season.
The NFL continues to grow in popularity both in this country and overseas. There is no longer an “off season” for the league or its legion of fans.
We at NFL Alumni are proud that so many of our player members helped build the foundation for that enormous growth!
