Steelers Rumors: Pittsburgh will host the 2026 NFL Draft
By Tommy Jaggi
The NFL Draft used to be held in New York City every year. These days, the league accepts bits from cities to host the biggest offseason event in professional sports in the United States. With a chance to drive revenue and over 50 million people tuning in each year, which city wouldn't want to host this event.
The 2024 NFL Draft was held in Detroit, and there was a remarkable turnout that packed hotels and flooded businesses. The latest Steelers rumor suggests that it could be Pittsburgh's turn to host the draft soon.
During NFL league meetings, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Steelers are 'cautiously optimistic' that Pittsburgh will be the host site for the 2026 NFL Draft. This comes after confirmation that the Green Bay Packers will host the NFL Draft in 2025, and Fowler believes that 'clarity' should come soon.
Source described #Steelers as ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Pittsburgh will be awarded a future NFL draft at this week’s owners meetings in Nashville. The 2026 slot is open. Clarity should come today.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 22, 2024
NFL Insider Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports also reported that there is a 'strong sense' that Pittsburgh will be awarded as the host city of the 2026 NFL Draft.
At the NFL league meetings here in Nashville, there's a strong sense that Pittsburgh will be awarded the 2026 NFL draft, sources tell @NFLonCBS. Announcement later today is possible.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) May 22, 2024
These reports are coming from reputable sources, so this appears to be more than mere rumors. Steelers fans -- particularly those who live locally -- are going to have quite the adventure if this proves to be the case.
Steelers could host the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
The 2024 NFL Draft set a record with over 700,000 fans in attendance. You can imagine what this does for business in the city. The Detroit Free Press estimated that this generated over $165 million for the city.
While Pittsburgh isn't guaranteed to surpass this, you can bet that streets will be flooded and hotels will book up fast. Early estimates suggest that Pittsburgh could have as many as 350,000 visitors coming to Pittsburgh with an economic impact of $100 million to $150 million during draft weekend in 2026.
We are still waiting on confirmation that Pittsburgh will indeed host the 2026 NFL Draft, but the latest Steelers rumor aligns with the reports from early in the offseason that they could be a host as early as 2026. This has a chance to be one of the biggest social events the city has ever seen.
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