WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Monday that the 2027 NFL draft would be held in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall.
"The draft is a celebration of one of our country's most cherished cultural institutions, and the annual highlights for football fans everywhere," Trump said. "Everyone in the world is going to be watching."
Trump made the announcement from the Oval Office, flanked by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, among other officials. The three spoke briefly, and Bowser touted the draft's ability to bring business to the city.
"We believe in investing in sports because they have helped us transform neighborhoods, and the NFL bringing this event to the nation's capital will help us fill hotel rooms, our restaurants, and Americans from all 50 states will come to their nation's capital and enjoy our beautiful city and museums," Bowser said.
NBC News previously reported that the announcement was expected. Axios was first to report the expected announcement. The NFL declined to comment on Sunday.
The NFL draft is an annual selection of the top college football players by individual teams. To be eligible, players must have been out of high school for at least three years.
From 1965 to 2014, the draft took place in New York City, but it has since rotated to different host cities. More than 600,000 people were on site in Green Bay, Wisconsin, last month for the most recent three-day event.
The announcement comes as Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser went public last week with plans to return to Washington and build a new stadium after 27 years in Maryland.
The president praised the plans, saying in the Oval Office that he did not think "there is a better site anywhere in the world than that site."
Trump, who once owned a United States Football League team and aspired (but failed) to own an NFL franchise, followed the 2025 draft from afar. He criticized NFL owners on social media for not taking Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the first round.
“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”
Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was expected to be a top pick but fell to the fifth round before he was taken by the Cleveland Browns.
The president has a history of sparring with the NFL. During his first term, he called on owners to fire players who were kneeling during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice and other issues and claimed the protests were hurting the league's television ratings and ticket sales.
At a Sept. 2017 rally, Trump said, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b---- off the field right now? Out! He’s fired. He’s fired.'"
In a statement that did not mention Trump by name, Goodell referred to the president's comments as “divisive” and said they showed “an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL.”
Trump then shot back at Goodell, saying, "Roger Goodell of NFL just put out a statement trying to justify the total disrespect certain players show to our country. Tell them to stand!"
The president doubled down on his criticism of anthem protests during a 2018 Fox News interview, saying "maybe" people who protested during the national anthem "shouldn't be in the country."
