City of Cincinnati in The Mix to Host The NFL Draft in Near Future

The 2029 NFL Draft may be coming to the Queen City!

The Sports Business Journal's Ben Fischer reported the city has the inside track on landing the big event.

Draft On The Way?

Fans begin to file into the standing room section of the NFL Draft Theater ahead of Night 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft outside Acrisure Stadium, Friday, April 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pa. | Ethan Morrison / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Sources said, it’s possible the NFL looks to award two drafts at the same time, or in relatively short order," Fischer wrote this week. "If that happens, some sources said Cincinnati has the inside track for 2029, but there is less clarity around whether the NFL is prepared to do that now. Commissioner Roger Goodell told Pat McAfee last week 'We’re going to probably have to start allocating the drafts a little further in advance' due to the event’s size.' Nothing is final, sources cautioned, and the Minnesota selection could still change in the weeks before a vote.

"The traveling NFL Draft routinely draws hundreds of thousands of fans to a free, festival-like environment that comes at an opportune time for weather in most of the country, making it an ideal platform for civic promotion. It’s also a highly flexible event, capable of being customized to lots of stadium areas and civic footprints. Ten teams had representatives at last weekend’s draft in Pittsburgh to learn and develop their own hopes of hosting, Goodell said."

The draft being in Cincinnati would be a huge showcase for the city, and there are plenty of spots to hold the big operation, including The Banks and Union Terminal Center.

A ton of Cincinnatians would likely flock to the venue just like the Pittsburgh faithful did this past weekend. An NFL Draft record 805,000 people attended the 2026 NFL Draft. This broke the previous record of 775,000 set by Detroit in 2024 and shows how much of an economic jolt it could bring to the area if Cincinnati is selected.

The 2027 NFL Draft should be another cool spectacle, with fans converging on the nation's capital. The draft will go down at the National Mall and could set new records again at the unique venue.

Check out the full report from Sports Business Journal here.

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