Rumor: 2017 NFL Draft To Be Held In Philadelphia

If you were planning on making your way to Chicago for the 2017 NFL Draft, it appears as though you might be out of luck. Or, at the very least, that your travel plans are going to require a significant change.

According to our friends over at Bleeding Green Nation, it appears that the city of Philadelphia has been tabbed to host the league's annual selection meeting in 2017. They cite the Mayor of Philadelphia's conversation with a U.S. Representative.

Although the city did not confirm that a deal had been made, Brady, a Democrat from Philadelphia, said that Mayor Kenney called him Thursday to tell him that the city had agreed to host the draft and to commit $5 million to pull off the three-day event.

Brady said the mayor expressed concern about the financial commitment at first but changed his mind after he was convinced that the city could raise the money and not put the burden on taxpayers.

Brady said the Building Trades Union would put in more than $1 million toward building a temporary stage and arena on the Ben Franklin Parkway with seating for about 3,000 spectators.

The strange part about this is the fact that the home team, the Philadelphia Eagles, do not currently possess a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. They traded it to the Cleveland Browns in the deal that allowed them to move up and select North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz at #2 overall.

The NFL has held the draft in Chicago the past couple of years after a long run at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Now, it appears as though things are going to be shifting back to the East Coast.