Trump announces 2027 NFL Draft will held in nation’s capital

President Trump announced on Monday the 2027 NFL draft will be held in Washington, D.C., a bankable economic boon for the nation's capitol.

"Everyone in the world is going to be watching," Trump said from the White House, while flanked by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Josh Harris, the new owner of the Washington Commanders pro football team. 

Over 600,000 people attended the 2026 draft last month in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The three-day event brought ina an estimated $94 million for the state, according to Scripps News Service. 

Buffalo and Denver were among the other cities competing to hold next year's draft. 

Goodell said D.C. hosting the event will "show the world how far the nation's capital has come."

To be sure, the Commanders turned a losing 2024 season into playoff success last year, going all the way to the NFL Conference Championship. 

The last time Washington hosted the NFL draft was in 1941.

The announcement Monday follows the release in recent days of a plan for a $3.7 billion stadium project at the site of the old RFK Stadium in which the District's NFL team played from 1961 to 1996. 

If the D.C. City Council approves the plan, the stadium could be ready for the start of the 2030 season. 

Harris said the draft in D.C. will showcase "what our city is all about."

He also called Trump the "ultimate commander" and presented him with a team jersey with the number 47.