Roger Goodell awards 2028 draft to Minnesota

Roger Goodell said on May 19 that NFL owners had awarded the 2028 NFL Draft to Minneapolis, putting Minnesota in line to host one of the league’s biggest fan events for the first time. The NFL announced the decision from its Spring League Meeting in Orlando and said the three-day draft will be held in downtown Minneapolis. League and team statements said activities will be anchored around U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings’ home venue. The award gives the NFL another host city after Pittsburgh staged the 2026 draft and Washington is set to host in 2027. ### How was the decision announced? The NFL said owners voted on Tuesday, May 19, at the Spring League Meeting to award the 2028 draft to Minneapolis. NFL.com described it as the city’s first time hosting the event. The league’s corporate release said the announcement was made in Orlando. Roger Goodell said in the NFL release that “Minnesota knows how to show up for big moments, and we’ve experienced it firsthand.” The commissioner said the state’s bid reflected “the kind of vision, energy and hospitality” the league wanted for the draft. (nfl.com) ### Where in Minnesota will the draft be held? (nfl.com) The NFL said the 2028 draft will take place in downtown Minneapolis. The league’s release said activations will be anchored around U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016 and has already hosted major events including a Super Bowl and a men’s Final Four. (media.nfl.com) The Vikings said Minnesota Sports and Events, the club and regional partners worked together on the bid. Their statement referred to the host region as Minneapolis/St. Paul and said the draft would bring the state “to the center of the football world for three days.” ### Who is behind the Minnesota bid? The Vikings said the bid was led in partnership with Minnesota Sports and Events, with support from regional partners. (media.nfl.com) The NFL’s release also named the Vikings and Minnesota Sports and Events as hosts for the 2028 event. Mark Wilf, the Vikings’ owner and president, said in the team’s statement that Minnesota was “ready to deliver a world-class Draft experience.” The team paired the written announcement with video of Goodell and Wilf discussing the award on May 19. (vikings.com) ### How does this fit into the NFL’s draft-host rotation? Pittsburgh hosted the most recent draft, from April 23-25, and drew a record 805,000 fans, NFL.com said. (vikings.com) The league has already awarded the 2027 draft to Washington, and Minneapolis now follows that city in the hosting line. The NFL has increasingly treated the draft as a traveling event rather than a fixed-site production in New York. (vikings.com) Minneapolis joins a recent run of cities that have used downtown spaces and stadium districts as the center of draft-week programming. That description is based on the league’s own event model and the NFL’s statement that Minneapolis activations will be concentrated around U.S. Bank Stadium. (nfl.com) ### What comes next before 2028? The NFL said only that the event will be in downtown Minneapolis with activities around U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings’ statement said Minnesota Sports and Events, the club and regional partners will welcome the draft, but it did not lay out a full venue map or public schedule on May 19. The next public steps are likely to come from the Vikings, Minnesota Sports and Events and local host officials as planning advances. (nfl.com) Before Minneapolis takes over in 2028, Washington is scheduled to host the 2027 NFL Draft, following Pittsburgh’s 2026 edition. (vikings.com)