The league’s owners will gather in Atlanta on Tuesday for their quarterly meeting, less than two weeks after the 2014 NFL draft. At that time, a decision is not expected to be made on the date and timing of the 2015 NFL draft.
This year, the league moved the draft into May for the first time ever. The ratings were impressive, but many believe that happened because of the Johnny Manziel factor on Day One and the Michael Sam factor on Day Three. Apart from fans strongly preferring an April draft, the two-month lag between the start of free agency and the commencement of the draft created a rare lull for the NFL, allowing other sports to capture the national spotlight.
The NFL nevertheless could move the draft even deeper into May. A geographic move is possible, too, with the potential permutations including a shift of the draft to multiple cities for separate days of the process in the same year.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, a decision is expected to be made by the end of summer, at the latest. Possibly via a prime-time TV broadcast.
That last part was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. But since the approach would put cash-in-pocket, it can’t be ruled out.