The NFL is looking into moving the Scouting Combine. Indianapolis is working to keep it.
As the league toys with the possibility of making the Combine a glitzy prime time show in a venue like Los Angeles, officials from Indianapolis’s tourism bureau want the league to commit to keeping it where it is. Currently there’s only a commitment for one more year in Indianapolis.
“Retaining the NFL Scouting Combine is paramount, as they have met here since 1987 and we only have them booked through next year,” Chris Gahl, senior vice president of Visit Indy, told the Indianapolis Star. “We are hopefully optimistic that in the next months, the NFL will make a decision and the Combine will remain safe and sound in Indianapolis.”
Indianapolis officials estimate the Combine brings in about $10 million in economic impact for the city. The NFL could easily make the Combine a bigger deal by moving it around from city to city like the draft, and more attention to the Combine would probably make the draft an even bigger event as well. Indianapolis is eager to get into the draft rotation, but doesn’t want to see the Combine similarly move around.