Nothing Official on Packers’ Bid to Host 2022 Draft

The team refuted a report that the Packers had been awarded the 2022 NFL Draft

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Feb 22, 2020 12:08 PM EST

The Green Bay Packers would like to host the 2022 NFL Draft but no official announcement has been made.

Responding to an Internet report, Packers vice president of communications Jason Wahlers wrote: “As we’ve stated publicly in the past, the Packers/Green Bay maintain an interest in hosting the NFL Draft, but we have not been awarded that opportunity in 2022.”

Packers fan Kyle Cousineau, who often is the first to report the team’s schedule, said on Twitter on Saturday morning that the Packers indeed would host the 2022 draft.

Requests for comment from the NFL were not immediately returned.

Initially, the Packers hoped to host the 2019 draft as part of its 100th-anniversary celebration. The team ultimately reversed course and set its sights on 2021 or later. The old Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena and ShopKo Hall, which were located across the street from Lambeau Field, were razed to make way for a new convention center. Ground was broken in July with a goal of having the building completed in January 2021. That building would be a key component in hosting the draft.

Los Angeles is considered a chief contender for the 2022 draft, as well.

This year’s draft will be held in Las Vegas. In May, the league announced that Cleveland would host the 2021 draft and Kansas City the 2023 draft.

Until 2014, the draft was held in New York, including at Radio City Music Hall from 2006 through 2014. Since then, the league has let cities bid to host the event. Chicago hosted in 2015 and 2016, Philadelphia in 2017, Dallas in 2018 and Nashville in 2019.

NFL Draft: Jonathan Taylor