The end of an NFL era could be coming very soon. NFL executive VP of football operations Troy Vincent revealed to reporters that the annual scouting combine will be up for bids after the 2022 edition in the longtime home in Indianapolis.
Vincent acknowledged the 2022 combine will still be in Indianapolis, but the 2023 event will be up for bids from different cities, including Los Angeles and Dallas. Indianapolis, the home of the combine since 1987, will also be in the bidding.
It’s not a surprising development. In the last combine open to the media in 2020, there was considerable talk about the future of the event. The centralized location and easy accessibility to medical facilities in Indianapolis has lost appeal to the league, which built a massive complex in Los Angeles that includes SoFi Stadium.
Aside from the official measurement and athletic testing of draft prospects, the combine serves as the unofficial convention and largest mass gathering of all NFL front office personnel, coaches, agents and media in one place.