One of the most exciting parts of the NFL calendar year will take place next month: the NFL Draft, an annual three-day event in which hundreds of thousands of fans gather to celebrate the prospects their teams hope will help lift them to a Super Bowl.
The event has never been held in Minnesota, but state officials are trying to change that.
Minnesota Sports and Events (MNSE), the regional sports commission that works to bring major events to the state, confirmed Wednesday that it has submitted a bid to host the 2028 NFL Draft in the Twin Cities.
The commission, which is working with the Minnesota Vikings and U.S. Bank Stadium, has tried to bring the draft to Minnesota in past years but hasn’t yet succeeded.
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The draft used to be held in New York City each year until the league moved to a bidding format in 2015. Since then, it has been held in every NFC North Division city except Minneapolis, including Chicago in 2015 and 2016, Detroit in 2024 and Green Bay just last year. Next month’s event will be in Pittsburgh, and the 2027 event has already been awarded to Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia, Dallas, Nashville, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Kansas City have also hosted the event in the past 10 years.
While the draft is an exciting event that is considered an honor to put on, it also has some serious financial benefits for the host city.
MNSE says more than 750,000 people attended the 2024 draft, generating an estimated economic impact of more than $213 million for the Detroit area.
U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Vikings, is obviously a key part of Minnesota’s bid for the draft, but MNSE says its vision is for a “truly regional event” in the Twin Cities.
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“In terms of the location of the draft, the red carpet and all the ancillary events that go with hosting the draft, all those things are under evaluation by the league right now, so it’s to be determined, but what we can say is TCO Performance Center is a really viable option,” Matt Meunier, MNSE’s executive vice president of business development and tourism, said. “Flag football, youth football is going to continue to be more prominent as it relates to the NFL and leaning into 2028 and the L.A. (Olympic) Games, so there’s potential to stage some youth football and community legacy events out at TCO Performance Center, but in addition to that, every event Minnesota Sports and Events hosts, we’re really intentional about staging events throughout the region and not just downtown (Minneapolis).”
Meunier said pre-draft promotion could also take place in Greater Minnesota “because we want this to be a Minnesota celebration and not just one, singular city.”
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Lester Bagley, the Vikings’ executive vice president of public affairs, said the event would have a significant impact on the state’s economy and brand, and the team is committed to bringing the draft to Minnesota.
“The Vikings are vested and invested, and we will provide financial support, staff support and organizational energy,” he said.
Minnesota has held several major events in the past decade, including the Super Bowl in 2018, the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2019, the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2022, and the 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials in 2024.
The NFL typically announces future draft hosts in May, so Minnesota should know soon whether or not its latest bid was successful.
“We are a great host market, and they know that,” MNSE President & CEO Wendy Blackshaw said. “This is a phenomenal opportunity for us, as well as for the NFL.”