NFL Draft Rumors: Commissioner Goodell Says League Considering Change of Location as Soon as Next Year
ByChicago and Los Angeles are leaders in coaxing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to host the Amateur Draft next year.
Goodell told the NFL Network's Rich Eisen L.A. and Chicago mayors Eric Garcetti and Rahm Emanuel are making "very aggressive" pushes to host the NFL Draft in 2015. The draft is traditionally held at New York City's Radio City Music Hall.
Goodell also told Eisen of a possible four-day draft schedule, with the first round on Thursday, the second on a Friday, the third on Saturday and rounds four through seven on Sunday.
"I would say that there are two things in pro football I would love to see in Chicago, either one of them or both: the NFL draft and the Super Bowl," Emanuel told the Chicago Tribune. "They have different advantages given that we have neither one so they would be great attractions for the city to bring national attention.
"We'll work on both."
Stephen Jones, executive vice president of the Dallas Cowboys, said he would like Arlington to also be considered for an NFL Draft change of scenery, the Dallas Morning News reported.
"As you can imagine, we like the idea," Jones said on the KRLD-FM radio station. "Anything that we can do at AT&T Stadium for our fans, give them a more up close and personal look at, I think would be a plus."
An unnamed source told the New York Daily News the NFL was already considering moving the location of the draft. The league may also be leaning toward allowing cities to bid on hosting the draft, similar to the Super Bowl.
"I absolutely do," the source said of the possibility of cities bidding on hosting the NFL Draft. "If a decision is made that the NFL draft leaves New York, I'm sure it will be a competitive bidding process. It hasn't been discussed placing it in any particular cities. A half dozen cities have approached the league and said, 'When you're ready to move, we're ready to host it.'"