2018 NFL Draft moving to AT&T Stadium in Dallas

The 2018 NFL Draft will have a new home for the third time in as many years

Despite an incredibly strong showing from the city of Philadelphia for the 2017 NFL Draft the league has decided to give the spectacle a new home.

The 2018 NFL Draft will be hosted by the Dallas Cowboys in AT&T Stadium, the first time the draft has ever been in Dallas/Arlington.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported the news from the NFL owners meetings in New York late Wednesday morning.

The league has adopted the idea of constantly moving the draft after decades of it being held in New York City. After two years in Chicago the league went to Philadelphia, the home of the first NFL Draft.

Last year Philadelphia broke attendance records from the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museumon the “Rocky Steps,” making it the first draft to be held entirely outdoors.

“Philadelphia raised the bar by taking the Draft to another level, and this new opportunity in Dallas will enable us to continue the event’s evolution and grow it even further,” said Goodell. “We are grateful to the Dallas Cowboys, the cities of Arlington, Dallas, and Frisco, and the Dallas Sports Commission for their leadership in turning this vision into reality.”

AT&T Stadium has a capacity of 100,000 people, well short of the 250,000 people who attended the 2017 draft in Philadelphia.

A had promoted a petition to keep the draft for one more year, which the league presented as an option before moving to Dallas. That petition received more than 6,000 votes at last view and quoted the following NFL media moguls.

"“Props to the people of Philadelphia. That’s how to host a draft. No city has injected that much energy, electricity, excitement into the draft.”“Wildest, most raucous atmosphere in draft history. Philadelphia bringing it.”— ESPN’s Adam Schefter“Philly: You absolutely KILLED it. Best draft experience ever. The standard has been set for every future draft city to try and match.”— ESPN’s Trey Wingo“How is Philly doing hosting the NFL Draft? No arrests in Day 1 or 2, outside of someone unlawfully operating a drone. Pretty peaceful.”–NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport“City of Philly draft grade: A+”–ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi"

Philadelphia hosted more than 1,800 accredited media and generated more than $94 million in economic impact for the city.

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It all culminates for owner Jerry Jones, whose leadership helped move the Rams back to Los Angeles and pave the way for the Chargers to follow suit. He’s since been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and now gets to host the NFL’s second-largest event in “Jerry World.”