The NFL draft will return to Chicago in 2016, sources have told ESPN and the Chicago Tribune. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the decision at a 12:30 p.m. news conference in Schaumburg where the league’s owners are meeting.
“You’ve made the Second City the first choice again,” Emanuel said to Goodell at the podium. “The NFL draft is a world-class event and I’m proud that they picked a world-class city like Chicago.
The draft will take place April 28 through April 30. The city hosted the NFL draft this spring for the first time in 50 years, turning Grant Park into a “Draft Town” festival for fans, with displays, team “caves,” concessions and other amusements.
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“We’re thrilled. They’ve earned it,” Goodell said. “The success we had last year set a new bar for the draft.”
Draft Town, the free fan fest, will return to Grant Park, but next year will be even bigger. The NFL is looking for a theater near Grant Park for the draft itself. The NFL also will explore ways to get more athletes to attend. The two top QB prospects, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, did not come to Chicago for the 2015 draft.
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The NFL believes the draft generated an economic impact of $81.6 million, according to a Sport Industry Research Center at Temple University study commissioned by the Chicago Sports Commission. Half of the attendees were from outside Chicago and generated 31,000 hotel nights. Another 5,600 hotel nights came from NFL staff, sponsors and media.
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