The NFL Scouting Combine could eventually leave its longtime home, but it will stay in Indianapolis at least through 2025, the city and the NFL announced jointly Thursday.
The combine has been in Indianapolis since 1987. It's been the preferred destination for the majority of people in the NFL for its centralized downtown, multiple hotels, medical infrastructure and, of course, familiarity.
Within the past five years the NFL started flirting with the idea of moving the combine out of Indianapolis, and in 2021 the league opened up a bidding process. In 2022, the league awarded the 2023 and 2024 combines to Indianapolis.
"Indianapolis has a storied history with the NFL combine, so we are thrilled to continue partnering with Visit Indy, the Indianapolis Colts, and our local partners for the event in 2025," NFL EVP Peter O'Reilly said in a statement. "The city has continued to innovate and help us evolve both the setup for the football evaluation process as well as growing the in-person experience for football fans in the region and across the country."
It's unclear if any other cities put in a bid for the 2025 combine, or if the league simply determined to push the process off for another year.
Dallas and Los Angeles had initially expressed interest in hosting the combine when the bidding process opened years ago, and it's unclear if both or either of those cities remain interested. According to a source, the Phoenix area and Minneapolis area have both emerged as potential bidders for a future combine.
The scouting community overwhelmingly wants to keep the combine in Indianapolis. But the NFL has grown into a year-round league, and it wants to capitalize on the success of rotating events like the NFL Draft.
The combine has been reimagined in recent years. In 2022 major changes were made to participants' schedules. Last year, body scans were used with the hopes of eventually replacing the manual system. Also last year, teams were reminded of substantial penalties if teams asked inappropriate questions.
