NFL Extends Key Partnership With Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Colts will be hosts of the NFL Combine for at least two more years after 2026.

Mar 2, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A general overall view of Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts and site of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One of the longest-standing traditions in the NFL is the combine being hosted in Indianapolis. The city's central location and efficient logistics have earned it the right to host the combine every year since 1987.

The 2026 edition is just over a month away, but in the meantime, the Indianapolis Colts have announced that they'll be hosting once again in 2027 and 2028. This will make it at least 40 consecutive years the Colts have hosted the combine.

According to former Colts punter Pat McAfee, who helped announce the new deal, more than 30,000 visitors flocked to Indianapolis for last year's combine.

The city of Indianapolis and @VisitIndy have officially signed an extension with the @NFL to keep the NFL Combine in Indy for 2027 and 2028

That makes Indy the official home of the NFL Combine for over 40 years..

Our city is proud to host such a spectacular opportunity for so… pic.twitter.com/u3UrDY4rvn

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 21, 2026

"The NFL Combine has called this place home for 39 years," McAfee said on stage. "Add two more. Through 2027 and 2028, the NFL and Visit Indy have officially inked a deal to keep the event here in Indianapolis, as it should be. $9 million of financial impact, 30,000 visitors last year during the combine, hopefully that'll go up."

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Coaches, scouts, and front office executives from all 32 teams flood into Indianapolis during this special week as the NCAA's best put on a clinic to test their athleticism. In addition to seeing the best prospects in-person, coaches are often able to interview a select few.

Only a few years after the Colts left Baltimore is when the league decided to move the combine to Indianapolis. The Colts haven't had to travel for combine duties since 1986, when it was hosted in New Orleans.

Mar 2, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly (OL07), Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks (OL01) Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker (OL03), LSU offensive lineman Miles Frazier (OL15) and Florida offensive lineman Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (OL11) stretch during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"As Indianapolis has grown, so has the NFL Scouting Combine," Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward said (per the team's official site). "For more than three decades, Indy has proven to be the best host city, efficiently moving prospects, team owners, coaching staff, medical personnel, and national media seamlessly through the city. The Colts and the Irsay family are grateful to the NFL for their continued confidence in our city's ability."

With the Indiana Convention Center next door, it's an easy-flowing process for players, coaches, and executives to get where they need to go. Although the league has looked at bids from other cities, the combine has stayed put in the Crossroads of America.

The Colts themselves have no first-round pick this season after trading it away to the New York Jets in exchange for cornerback Sauce Gardner. Indy's scouts will have to focus on guys they think could fall to the second round, a place where Chris Ballard has had success before.