Report: Pittsburgh, Denver 'In The Running' For Hosting 2026 NFL Draft

The city of Pittsburgh and the Steelers organization are awaiting word on the bid they submitted in February to host either the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft. The NFL owners are meeting this week in Nashville, and an announcement is possible this week. Team president Art Rooney II expects word this week, and it would make sense with the meetings going on to discuss several league matters.

According to Carolina Panthers beat writer Joe Person of the Athletic on X, Pittsburgh is in the running alongside Denver.

Charlotte is interested but has not yet submitted a formal bid. I don’t know all of the specifics around the decision or the situation, but if Pittsburgh and Denver are the two teams that have submitted bids, then it would make sense that one of the two cities will host in 2026 with the other in 2027.

WPXI’s Jenna Harner interviewed several people close to the process in Pittsburgh in an article on Sunday, and the VisitPittsburgh CEO said that the level of detail the league is getting into at this point in the process seems promising for Pittsburgh. That would suggest 2026 could be the likely outcome, but we won’t have to wait long to find out.

The city of Detroit broke the draft attendance record with 775,000 fans over three days last month. That brought in an estimated $165 million in net economic impact for the city. Hosting the draft would be an event unlike any other that Pittsburgh has hosted, and it would be a welcome economic boon for the city.

Roger Goodell appeared on The Pat McAfee Show during the 2024 NFL Draft and said “that may be coming soon” when asked about Pittsburgh potentially hosting a future draft, so all signs point positive for the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh.