-
Stephen Holder, ESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — The city of Indianapolis and the NFL have reached an agreement to keep the 2025 NFL scouting combine in the city that has hosted the event since 1987.
There was uncertainty about the future location of the event as no agreement was in place beyond next month’s combine. The NFL has mulled the possibility of staging the combine in various cities, as has become the case with the NFL draft. Dallas and Los Angeles were among the cities that submitted bids during the last negotiation in 2022 before a two-year deal with Indianapolis was ultimately reached.
There is now added intrigue in moving the event because the NFL has significantly remade the combine into a spectator event, with 40,000 total spectators watching the on-field testing at Lucas Oil Stadium last year over the course of multiple days.
But with the Indianapolis setup of easy access to the stadium, the convention center and the medical facilities for athlete physical exams, all within the city center and within a short walk from primary hotels, remaining in Indianapolis was a popular choice among NFL team personnel who must maximize the event for their draft preparation.
“Indianapolis has proven time and again that it is uniquely positioned and equipped to host an event the size and magnitude of the NFL combine,” Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward said in a statement.
NFL executive vice president of club business, league events and international Peter O’Reilly added, “The city has continued to innovate and help us evolve both the setup for the football evaluation process as well as growing the in-person experience for football fans.”
The scouting combine brings together more than 300 of the top prospects in the NFL draft for days of team interviews, evaluations and on-field testing.
The 2024 combine is scheduled for Feb. 27 through March 4.
Source: www.espn.com