BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Bills intend to submit a bid to host the 2028 NFL Draft at their new stadium in Orchard Park, an event that could draw over half a million football fans to Western New York, a team official confirmed to WIVB News 4.
The NFL Draft has continued to grow as a spectacle since it moved away from New York City in 2014, with the most recent edition in downtown Detroit setting a new attendance record with over 775,000 attendees across three days, according to city officials.
Should Buffalo be awarded the draft in 2028, it would give the organization the perfect opportunity to showcase its new stadium and surrounding campus to a massive audience, as well as provide a noteworthy financial influx for the region. A Michigan economic group estimated this past draft had a roughly $165 million net impact on the City of Detroit.
Green Bay and Pittsburgh will host the 2025 and 2026 drafts, respectively, and both have hinted at plans to incorporate their own stadiums and surrounding areas into the event. Dallas in 2018 and Cleveland in 2021 also utilized their stadiums as part of the draft experience.
The Bills’ potential bid to host the draft was first reported by The Buffalo News.
The process to host the 2028 draft will unfold over the next couple of years, as a 2027 host has yet to be declared either. The location of a draft is typically revealed around two years prior to the event.
It remains to be seen how many other organizations will vie to host the draft in four years alongside Buffalo, but it’s unlikely the Bills will be doing so alone.