Washington to Host 2027 NFL Draft, Announcement Coming Monday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The 2027 NFL draft is set to take place in the nation’s capital, confirmed a source to The Associated Press on Sunday.

President Donald Trump is expected to officially announce the event on Monday at the White House. Hosting the draft in Washington marks a significant achievement for the Commanders, occurring just a week after reaching an agreement with the D.C. government to reconstruct a stadium at the former RFK site, pending council approval.

Josh Harris, who acquired the team from Dan Snyder in July 2023, has been actively seeking to bring the draft to Washington after missing out to cities like Detroit and Green Bay in previous years.

“Our first choice was always RFK because we knew that the stadium was getting older, and we knew we were going to have to do something with it,” Harris told WUSA9. “Being the center of DMV, being in D.C., being in the spiritual home where the team had won so many Super Bowls is what we always thought was the right answer.”

The upcoming draft, expected to draw significant attendance given the success of recent drafts, follows last year’s event in Green Bay that attracted over 600,000 fans. In 2024, Detroit set a record of 750,000 attendees.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has previously stated that bringing a new stadium to the area could enhance Washington’s chances of hosting a future Super Bowl, calling it a “missing piece” for the community.