The National Football League announced Monday that the 2025 NFL Draft will take place in Green Bay inside and around Lambeau Field and the Titletown district.
The announcement was made at the NFL Spring League Meeting in Minneapolis, following a review of the proposal by the Fan Engagement & Major Events Advisory Committee and full NFL ownership.
“The draft has become a prominent offseason event hosted in different cities with spectacular locations across the country, and we are excited to work with the Packers and Discover Green Bay to bring the 2025 NFL Draft to Green Bay and iconic Lambeau field,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “With the help of numerous local partners on the ground, our prospects and fans will be treated to an incredible week-long experience that shows off the city of Green Bay and the state of Wisconsin.”
The NFL Draft is typically held in late April and draws thousands of fans from across the country to celebrate and see which teams select the top college football players turning pro. The 2025 draft will make a major economic impact on Green Bay and bring additional exposure to the city. The 2023 NFL Draft was held in Kansas City, attracting more than 312,000 fans and had more than 54 million viewers over the course of the three-day event, according to the NFL. The 2024 NFL Draft will be held in Detroit.
The 2025 NFL Draft festivities will include several days of activities throughout Green Bay and will feature the NFL Draft Experience – a massive free football festival – near Lambeau Field to allow fans of all teams to participate and test their football skills, enjoy interactive exhibits and autograph sessions, and take pictures with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Draft Experience will be open all three days of the event.
“This is an incredible day for the Packers, Greater Green Bay and the entire state of Wisconsin as we are excited and honored to be selected to host the 2025 NFL Draft,” said Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy. “The Packers have a rich and proud history that goes back to the early days of the NFL and are the only community owned team. That connection to our league’s heritage combined with the great passion Packers fans will bring will make the draft a memorable event for those in attendance and NFL fans watching around the world. Today’s announcement is the result of years of hard work by our draft committee, particularly Gabrielle Dow from the Packers and Brad Toll from Discover Green Bay. Their tireless efforts putting together a bid and a plan to host the draft here, as well as the extraordinary support we’ve received from our community partners, has created this unprecedented opportunity to showcase our community. We couldn’t be more excited to host the 2025 NFL Draft.”
In a video on the Packers’ website, Murphy said that the 2025 NFL Draft will have an economic impact of $94 million on the Green Bay region.
“To put that in perspective, we know our (home) games are huge for this community, and that’s (an economic impact) of $15 million. So (the NFL Draft will be) more than 6-times the impact of one of our single (home) games,” he said. “You’re going to have people staying all over the state, all of the way from Milwaukee to up Green Bay.”
Details of the 2025 NFL Draft are still being finalized. The main portion of the event is expected to take place on the Lambeau Field and Titletown district campus, with a variety of venues to be utilized within close proximity to the stadium campus.
“We’re honored to be entrusted to host one of the NFL’s premier events,” said Brad Toll, president and CEO of Discover Green Bay. “We’re excited to partner with the Green Bay Packers, community leaders and our tourism partners to provide an unparalleled experience for visiting fans. This will be the biggest and most economically significant event in our history.”
During the draft shots of Lambeau Field and Green Bay that will be seen by an anticipated television audience of 54 million will have a long lasting impact on the region, Murphy said.
“The benefits of this will not only be immediate, but will be lasting as well,” he said.
The history and tradition of the Packers, the iconic status of Lambeau Field, the proximity of the Resch Complex and the development of the Titletown district were all key factors in convincing the NFL that Green Bay would be a suitable place to hold the NFL Draft, Murphy said.
“It will be the largest event that’s ever been held in Green Bay,” Murphy said. “I think we’re ready for it. We know the work starts now. We have a couple of years to get ready for it.”
News about Green Bay hosting the 2025 NFL Draft comes about a week after the Green Bay metro area was ranked the best place in live in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
