NFL draft will return to Chicago in 2016, league set to announce

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel will announce Tuesday at the NFL owners meeting that the 2016 NFL draft is returning to Chicago, a league source told Shutdown Corner.

Chicago hosted the 2015 NFL draft — the first time the Windy City had held the event in 50 years. It was considered a success because of the way the city rolled out the proverbial red carpet for the league and the results were mostly positive after New York had held the draft the previous half-century.

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TV ratings were down for the 2015 event, but the “Draft Town” held across from the Auditorium Theatre in Grant Park was considered a huge success by league officials and most likely will be a centerpiece of the 2016 event, too.

There had been widespread speculation that Los Angeles might host the 2016 draft as a way to showcase the city for a team (or teams) possibly relocating there next season. But with the L.A. possibility still in doubt, Chicago made sense as a sure-thing location to host the three-day event.

The owners from the 32 member clubs are meeting Tuesday to discuss the future of the league in L.A., with presentations from the St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders on their current stadium situations, plus updates from the prospective Carson and Inglewood stadium proposals for relocation.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm