Bengals EVP Katie Blackburn and VP Elizabeth Blackburn said that they “hope Cincinnati will be in the rotation” to host the NFL Draft, according to Kelsey Conway of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER. Blackburn said, “We are exploring it and seeing whether we can have an opportunity to do that. We would love it if we could. We would be excited about it. We’ll continue to work on it to see if it can happen.” The NFL Draft is heading to D.C. in 2027 and Minneapolis, Minn., in 2028. After that, no decisions have been made as far as where it will go. Conway wrote there is still “a lot of work that needs to be done for Cincinnati to be awarded an event of this magnitude,” with “location and hotel proximity as the main focal points that need to be sorted out.” Katie Blackburn said that there is “a call with the NFL coming up in a few weeks to discuss further plans.” If Cincinnati were to host the three-day event, it would be looking at an “estimate of more than 600,000 spectators in attendance over the weekend.” Officials will “need to find a space that can host that many people with accessibility to hotels nearby” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 6/15).
GET THE MOST 0UT: Conway in a separate piece notes in August 2025, the Bengals and Hamilton County agreed on the terms of a new lease to ensure the team continues to play games at Paycor Stadium for the next decade. The new deal runs through 2036, and it includes 10 option years to potentially continue the agreement through 2046. Katie Blackburn was asked during a once-a-year media session with local reporters whether fans should “expect the city of Cincinnati to build a new stadium for the Bengals in the future.” She replied, “Our goal is to continue to get as much use out of this building as we can for the sake of the county and the investment that’s been made here. We think it’s beautiful and practical. … We’re going to do our best to get as much out of it as we can, and we’ll see how long we can make that happen” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 6/16).
