Washington, D.C., will host the 2027 NFL Draft, according to multiple media reports on Sunday night.
An official announcement could be made Monday at the White House, where President Donald Trump’s public schedule includes a “sports announcement” at 1 p.m., the Washington Post reported.
The annual spring draft is scheduled for Pittsburgh in 2026, with 2027 the next available year. Washington would be a first-time host since the NFL began rotating the sites from New York in 2015.
The expected site, according to the Washington Post and Axios, is the National Mall, with a proposal for a main stage near the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum.
The 2024 draft in Detroit drew a record crowd of 775,000 fans over three days, with an estimated 600,000 attending last month’s three-day draft in Green Bay, Wis.
Washington is riding momentum from the Commanders’ surprising 12-5 season in 2024 and berth in the NFC Championship Game in the second year under new majority owner Josh Harris. Quarterback Jayden Daniels was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
More recently, the Commanders reached a $3.7 billion deal with the District of Columbia to build a roofed, 65,000-seat stadium in the nation’s capital. Harris and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the development project last Monday, with the NFL team committed to financing at least $2.7 billion and D.C. paying $500 million for infrastructure toward the stadium.
The use of taxpayer money must be approved by the D.C. City Council.
Harris has targeted the new stadium, at the site of the team’s old home, RFK Stadium, to open by 2030. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a new stadium will increase the District of Columbia’s chances to eventually host a Super Bowl.
