Minnesota Vikings put in bid to host the NFL Draft, and it could be a gamechanger for the city

Minnesota could be in position to get one of the NFL’s best events.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Former Minnesota Vikings tight end Stu Voigt announces the team’s selection with the 102nd overall pick during the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft runs through April 26.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Sports and Events Commission have officially placed a bid to host the 2028 NFL Draft. The NFL Draft is being hosted in Pittsburgh this year and it will be in Washington D.C. the following year.

The proposal for the setup surrounding U.S. Bank Stadium is a fascinating one. There is space that is relatively open, but is it big enough to host the hundreds of thousands of people? That’s the biggest question.

Minnesota Vikings put in bid to host 2028 NFL Draft

Minneapolis has been used to hosting major events over the years, especially in that area. U.S. Bank Stadium has already hosted a Super Bowl in February of 2018 and a Final Four in April of 2019. Even so, hosting the NFL Draft is a different beast. The event is mostly held outside with an ampetheater, not within the walls of U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis had an interesting tidbit on this bid, as it includes multiple companies.

“Experience helps in this regard, too. The Vikings and Minnesota Sports and Events collaborated on the winning bid for the Super Bowl in early 2018. Bagley and Wendy Blackshaw, the president and CEO of Minnesota Sports and Events, said the league came away pleased with the result.

The Vikings plan to commit financial and staff support to help with the bid. The team and Minnesota Sports and Events have also obtained resources from executives from three local companies: Christophe Beck of Ecolab, Gunjan Kedia of U.S. Bank and Geoff Martha of Medtronic.

Blackshaw wouldn’t divulge the specifics on the investments, but she did suggest that Minnesota Sports and Events estimates an economic impact of more than $100 million.”

If Minnesota were to get it, it would be an incredible event with a lot of interesting things to figure out.

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