WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was joined by National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser in the Oval Office on Monday to announce the nation’s capital city as the host of the 2027 NFL draft. 

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President Donald Trump was joined by National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, Commanders owner Josh Harris and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser in the Oval Office on Monday to announce the nation’s capital city as the host of the 2027 NFL draft

The multi-day event that typically draws tens of thousands of in-person attendees and millions of views on TV will take place on the National Mall

Goodell added that he expects more than a million people to come to the mall for the event over its full three days, which the Democratic Washington mayor, Bowser, noted would give local businesses a major boost

The draft announcement comes days after the unveiling of a plan to make the site of the old RFK Stadium in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington the home of the city’s NFL team, the Commanders

The multiday event that typically draws hundreds of thousands of in-person attendees and millions of viewers on TV will take place on the National Mall, a setup Trump declared “nobody else will be able to duplicate.”

“I was just saying to Roger [Goodell], I don’t think there’s ever been anything like that,” the president said “In fact, maybe we can use it for other things also.”

Goodell added that he expects more than a million people to come to the mall for the event over its full three days, which the Democratic Washington mayor, Bowser, noted would give local businesses a major boost. 

“We believe in investing in sports because they have helped us transform neighborhoods,” Bowser said. “And the NFL bringing this event to the nation’s capital will help us fill hotel rooms, our restaurants, and Americans from all 50 states will come to their nation’s capital and enjoy our beautiful city and museums.” 

Goodell, who called having the president announce his league’s 2027 draft location a “special treat,” also noted the significance of investing in communities, adding that doing so in Washington is “particularly important.” 

“We think we can have a tremendous impact on this community, and it will not just be an event, it will be something that will show the world how far the nation’s capital has come and where it’s going,” he said. 

The draft announcement comes days after the unveiling of a plan to make the site of the old Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington the home of the city’s NFL team, the Commanders.

“That’s the best site there is, bringing professional football back into the district from Maryland,” Trump said. 

The team’s owner, who referred to Washington as the “gateway city to our country,” presented Trump with a Commanders jersey bearing his name, with Harris calling the president the “ultimate commander.” 

Trump touted both announcements Monday as not only great for the NFL, but also important to his mission of improving the nation’s capital city. The president noted that he had a “good relationship” going with Bowser, who also led the city during Trump’s first term and had a number of clashes with him and his White House throughout his first four years in office. 

Trump frequently speaks about how Washington must look nice when he hosts foreign leaders, railing gainst crime and homelessness in the capital city. In February, he said he supported the idea of putting the district back under federal control. Weeks later, he signed an order creating a task force focused on making Washington “safe and beautiful.”

“We’ve made a lot of improvements in the last few months, and it’s getting to look really strong,” Trump said. 

The annual NFL draft, in which the league’s teams select top college football players, was held in New York City for nearly 50 years until it started to move to different host cities about a decade ago. 

Goodell noted last month’s draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, brought in more than 600,000 people while the previous year’s held in Detroit saw 800,000 people attend. 

The 2026 draft is set to take place in Pittsburgh.