One of the biggest events on the NFL calendar could be changing locations soon. The NFL scouting combine could be leaving its longtime home in Indianapolis for another city.
A recent report from Mickey Shuey of the Indianapolis Business Journal notes that the NFL is looking to move the event to the highest bidder.
In a communication to all 32 of the league’s teams Wednesday morning, the NFL said it is accepting bids from franchises that would like to host the five-day event for each year from 2023 to 2028, adopting a tactic similar to what it has done with the Super Bowl and more recently the NFL Draft.
The combine has been held in Indianapolis every year since 1987. Centrally located and with top-notch medical facilities and a condensed activity and hotel area around Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indianapolis Convention Center, it’s been an easy logistical choice for the NFL’s scouting extravaganza. Players work out in drills, get thorough medical exams and get opportunities to interview with both the media and all 32 teams.
There have been whispers the combine would move out soon. Talk of a potential move to the NFL’s new campus in Los Angeles built around SoFi Stadium (home of the Rams) was rampant at the event in the media room in 2020. Weather is a consistent problem in the Midwest in late February, and the ability to capitalize on the combine’s growing popularity and ability to add fans into the mix make a move for 2022 and beyond seem inevitable.
