The NFL Draft in Wisconsin

The Green Bay draft will mark the return of the proceedings to the state of Wisconsin for the first time since December 1939, when the 1940 draft was held in Milwaukee at the Schroeder Hotel (now the Hilton Milwaukee City Center). The first pick? Tennessee's George Cafego to the Chicago Cardinals.

Green Bay to Host 2025 NFL Draft!

Green Bay selected to be host site of 2025 NFL Draft 

May 22, 2023

Jeremy Bergman

NFL Digital Content Editor

The NFL Draft is headed to Titletown!

The league announced Monday at the Spring League Meeting that the 2025 NFL Draft has been awarded to Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of the Packers and legendary Lambeau Field.

"The draft has become our biggest offseason event hosted in different cities and spectacular locations across the country, and we are excited to work with the Packers and Discover Green Bay to bring the 2025 NFL Draft to Green Bay and iconic Lambeau field," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement on Monday. "With the help of numerous local partners on the ground, our prospects and fans will be treated to an incredible week-long experience that shows off the city of Green Bay and the state of Wisconsin."

Green Bay will be the ninth NFL city to host the draft since the annual player selection meeting morphed into a road show in 2015 (Chicago; Philadelphia; Arlington, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Cleveland; Las Vegas; Kansas City, Missouri; Detroit).

The 2024 NFL Draft will run April 25-27 in Detroit.

"This is an incredible day for the Packers, Greater Green Bay and the entire state of Wisconsin as we are excited and honored to be selected to host the 2025 NFL Draft," Packers president Mark Murphy said in a statement on Monday. "The Packers have a rich and proud history that goes back to the early days of the NFL and are the only community owned team. That connection to our league's heritage combined with the great passion Packers fans will bring will make the Draft a memorable event for those in attendance and NFL fans watching around the world."

From 1965 to 2014, the draft was hosted at various locations around New York City. Prior to that, the event was held in a number of cities across the United States, ranging from Philadelphia to Chicago to Los Angeles.

The Green Bay draft will mark the return of the proceedings to the state of Wisconsin for the first time since December 1939, when the 1940 draft was held in Milwaukee at the Schroeder Hotel (now the Hilton Milwaukee City Center). The first pick? Tennessee's George Cafego to the Chicago Cardinals.

Green Bay has played host to a number of notable NFL moments throughout the league's history, including over two-dozen playoff games and six NFL/NFC title tilts, most notably the historic "Ice Bowl." Now, for the first time ever, the draft will take place on the Frozen Tundra.

Will We See Any OTA Practices?

If you were hoping to see some players on the field at the OTA’s over the next three weeks, no word has come from the team about any open practices for the fans.

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#GreenBayPackers #GreenBay #Packers #GoPackGo #LambeauField #NFL #OTAs

UPDATE: Thursday Night Flex Issue Vote Coming This Week

Thursday Night Football flex scheduled for another NFL owners vote this week

NFL owners this week (May 22-24) are scheduled for the second time in less than two months to vote on allowing games to be flexed between Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights, according to a person who has seen the agenda for the Spring League Meetings.

At the March annual owners meeting, a proposal to do so pushed by the league failed to win the necessary three-quarters vote of owners required to pass. It received 22 yes votes, two shy of the necessary 24 (eight owners voted no, and two abstained). The league’s push came after the first year of Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, which saw a fall in ratings on the streamer by roughly on average 4 million viewers for each of the 15 contests compared to 2021.

That was partly due to the move to digital from linear, but also many of the games were poor matchups that drew criticism, and even mocking lines from at times Al Michaels, who provided commentary for the contests. Thus the push to provide flexing for TNF.

An NFL spokesman declined to comment on whether there is a vote scheduled, citing the need to let the owners discuss the matter next week before issuing a statement.

— The Athletic

When/if the owners approve, and you have purchased or are purchasing tickets to Packers games scheduled after October 9th (when flex scheduling goes into effect), know up front that you may very well have to change your airline and hotel accommodations 15 days before the game when it is moved from Sunday to Thursday night.

What Roger Goodell and Jeff Bezos want, Roger Goodell and Jeff Bezos get.

Jim Brown Passes Away at 87

NFL legend Jim Brown has passed away at the age of 87. He played the final game of his career in a 23-12 loss to Vince Lombardi’s Packers. The original caption for this photo: “Running back Jim Brown, #32 of the Cleveland Browns, attempts to catch a pass in the end zone in front of linebacker Ray Nitschke, #66 of the Green Bay Packers, during the NFL Championship Game on January 2, 1966, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.” (Getty Images)

Our condolences go out to his family, friends, teammates, and the fans in Cleveland.

2023 Packers Schedule — Preseason Finalized

Today, the Packers released their updated 2023 schedule with the dates and times of the preseason games.

NFL 2023 Schedule Release

Thursday Flexing to Be Decided Soon

The owners will vote on Thursday flexing at their May 22-24 meetings.

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Sunday Football Madness

From the December 3, 1963 issue of LOOK magazine in a story titled, “Sunday Football Madness.” Caption: “Sam Huff attempts to unscrew the head of Green Bay’s Jim Taylor, as hooded opponents admire his resolve.” This was during the 1962 NFL Championship game between the Packers and the Giants at Yankee Stadium, a game played on December 30, 1962. 

Also from the same story and issue, a photo that I don’t believe we’ve seen before — the scene on the frozen field after the game ended with Green Bay’s second title under Head Coach Vince Lombardi.

The '62 NFL title game figured to be a much tougher test against the Giants, who wanted to show their fans in New York that the game the year before was an aberration (the Packers had clobbered the Giants 37-0 in Green Bay). Yankee Stadium was also a homecoming for Lombardi, as he was a New York City native and was an assistant coach for the Giants from 1954-1958.

One thing that many people don’t know is how cold it was in New York that day. During the contest it became so cold due to wind chill that a cameraman filming the game suffered frostbite, and television crews used dugout bonfires to thaw out their cameras. One broadcaster later described the weather as “barbaric.” 

Were the conditions at the '62 NFL title game comparable to the fabled “Ice Bowl?” “You know, they were very similar,” guard and placekicker Jerry Kramer said. “Vince Lombardi Jr. and I were talking about it years later, and Vince Jr. thought the Giants game was colder than the 1967 championship, played in Green Bay on December 31 of that year. Vince Jr. was at both games, too. It was just a bitter cold day. The wind was sharp and biting.”

The cold conditions favored the Packers who used a run-oriented offense led by Taylor, while the Giants featured a more pass-heavy offense led by quarterback Y. A. Tittle who had passed for 3,224 yards and 33 touchdowns in the regular season.

GAME QUOTES:

“I don't remember ever being hit so hard. I bled all game. They really came to play.”

— Packers fullback Jim Taylor, who rushed for 85 yards on 31 carries in the game.

“That was the hardest football game I ever played in.”

— Packers halfback Paul Hornung

“It was the coach's backyard and his first time back in the big city in a playoff game. We knew how much it meant to him. There was considerable pressure and we understood it was going to be a substantial battle.”

— Guard and placekicker Jerry Kramer

“We're still the better team.”

— Giants halfback Frank Gifford

The photos above appeared in the magazine pictured here. It also featured a cover story about President Kennedy and his son John-John. Kennedy had recently been assassinated on November 22, 1963.