Green Bay Gets the 2025 NFL Draft, Super Bowl LX Heading to Levi’s Stadium, TNF Flex, Emergency QB, and Other NFL Bullets
The NFL made some headlines on Monday afternoon. Among a few items of note is that the 2025 NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay. I was in the pool with the kids when the league decided to have a late afternoon news dump from the owner’s meetings in Minneapolis. Thankfully Luis was on it.
- The Packers will become the third NFC North team to host the NFL Draft. The Lions have the 2024 NFL Draft. And, of course, the Bears hosted the NFL Draft in 2015 and 2016. Since leaving the Radio City Music Hall in 2015, the draft has made stops in Chicago, Philadelphia, Arlington, Nashville, Cleveland, Vegas, and Kansas City. Since the NFL took the show on the road in 2015, more than 2.2 million people have attended the event in person.
- After having more than 312,000 fans attend last month’s draft in Kansas City, the NFL is having the draft in one of the smaller cities in the league. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Green Bay has a population of 106,095. That’s one-third of the people who attended the event in Kansas City.
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on the decision to award Green Bay the 2025 draft on Tuesday:
“The Draft has become our biggest offseason event hosted in different cities and 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 the iconic Lambeau field. 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.”
- Also, league owners voted to approve the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., as the 2026 host site Monday. Super Bowl 60 comes 10 years after Levi’s Stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
- “The Bay Area was an incredible host for Super Bowl 50, and we are thrilled to bring the Super Bowl back,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement.
- Levi’s Stadium is also one of the venues set to host games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup that summer. So, a big year for Santa Clara and the Bay Area in 2026, with two of the most significant sporting events in the world in their backyard.
- Teams in the NFL may now have their scheduled games moved between Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights during Weeks 13-17 of the regular season. However, the league must provide at least 28 days’ notice before any changes are made.
- Additionally, no team will have to switch from a Sunday afternoon to Thursday night more than once in a season. Also, the NFL will not apply flex scheduling to TNF more than twice per season.
- The vote passed 24-8, according to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. As Luis wrote on Monday afternoon, the Bears were among the eight teams to vote against the resolution.
- We can call this one the “Brock Purdy Rule”
- After the 49ers’ season ended in the NFC title game that saw both of their active QBs knocked out of the game with injuries, the NFL has revamped the third QB rule. So, we will never have to see Christian McCaffrey warming up to be the emergency QB in a conference title game again.
- According to the rule, teams can designate a third QB to the referees before every game. That player must be on the team’s 53-man roster.
- If you missed the news this morning:
- After an offseason of speculation that included a trade request, Austin Ekeler is staying in Los Angeles. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ekeler and the Chargers have agreed to a reworked contract to make it happen. Ekeler’s reworked deal includes close to $2 million in incentives. That would push the value of Ekeler’s deal up to roughly $8.25 million this season.
- As reported earlier this month, Tom Brady wants to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. According to Adam Schefter, Brady and Raiders owner Mark Davis have agreed on a bid to make that happen.
- Joe Burrow is prioritizing securing contract extensions for himself and his top receivers in Cincinnati.
- Bye-bye, Bronny …
