NFL scouting combine will stay in Indianapolis through 2024
The NFL scouting combine is staying in Indianapolis for at least two more years through 2024, the league announced Tuesday at its spring meetings in Atlanta.
The annual event has been held in the city since 1987. The next two combines were put up for bid for the first time, a process the league uses for the Super Bowl and NFL draft. Indianapolis was awarded the 2023 and '24 combines — pushing its streak to 37 years — after proposals were due in April. The league did not say what other cities put in bids.
"After close review by our internal team, the Fan Engagement & Major Events Advisory Committee, and the National Invitational Camp staff, Indianapolis remains the best city to host and grow the NFL Combine in 2023 and 2024," Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president of club business and league events, said in a statement. "Indy's vision brings together its long legacy of successfully hosting the Combine and executing the evaluation process, with an exciting focus on innovating and further growing the event from a fan and media perspective."
The combine was initially held at the Hoosier Dome before shifting to Lucas Oil Stadium in 2009. The only year it has not hosted was 2021 when it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bid includes a new fan experience outside of the stadium and a legacy program focused on mental health.
"Indy is a city built to host major sporting events, and I'm proud the combine will continue to stay in our city," Colts owner Jim Irsay said Tuesday, via NFL.com.
Since the event was put up for bid, there was uncertainty around it staying in Indianapolis. Colts general manager Chris Ballard opened his combine news conference in March by praising those who put it on and organized it.
"It is great to be back, and can't have a better city to do it in," Ballard said in March. "We'll see where it ends up in the future, but I'd be hard-pressed to find another city that does it any better."
The 2023 combine is scheduled for Feb. 28 through March 6. The 2024 combine is set to take place Feb. 27 through March 4.
