City of Cincinnati in 'Ongoing Conversations' With League to Host 2029 NFL Draft

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The 2026 NFL Draft logo on the theater stage at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

City of Cincinnati in 'Ongoing Conversations' With League to Host 2029 NFL Draft

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated May 26, 2026 11:59 AM ET

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The City of Cincinnati is officially making a push to host the 2029 NFL Draft. The Enquirer reported on Tuesday that the city is in an "ongoing conversation with the NFL" to bring the event to the Queen City.

"Cincinnati Regional Sports Commission Director Ben Huffman noted his organization and the Bengals are in an 'ongoing conversation with the NFL' to bring the event – and hundreds of thousands of spectators – here," The article stated. 'We believe we'd be a great host, and we've told them we're interested,' he said May 21. Huffman clarified that they submitted a letter of interest to the NFL, but there's been no formal proposal or bid just yet."

The State of Ohio has hosted just one NFL Draft ever (2021 in Cleveland), and the weekend would bring plenty of great media exposure to the region.

A formal bid has not officially been made, but the city is turning its wheels that direction.

The NFL typically picks host cities for the draft two years in advance, like it just did this past weekend by awarding the 2028 event to Minneapolis. Sports Business Journal reported earlier this month that Cincinnati has "the inside track" to host in 2029.

The City of Pittsburgh just set up a huge skyline backdrop for their event in April, which set a new draft attendance record of 805,000 across the three days. Multiple spots in the Cincinnati area could host.

Flexible Location

Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Huffman is willing to take it wherever.

"But it's such a large footprint, so there are few areas that fit a couple hundred thousand people," he said in a work email, the Enquirer obtained via a public records request. "Wherever (the NFL) would like it to be, we will make it happen."

Huffman highlighted Cincinnati's rise toward hosting events like this in another email.

"While the landscape is highly competitive, there is clear interest in bringing events to Cincinnati – and we are well-positioned to capitalize on that momentum," Huffman wrote.

The city just opened up a new convention center downtown and has a bunch of growth happening around the hotel scene all throughout the tri-state area. More and more signs like this are pointing to the city eventually hosting a draft, if not the next one in 2029.

Check out The Enquirer's full report here.

This article first appeared on Cincinnati Bengals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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