ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — President/CEO Joe Ellis expressed his disappointment Wednesday after the NFL awarded Nashville the right to host the 2019 NFL Draft.
"It's disappointing for us, but I do want to congratulate the city of Nashville," Ellis said in a statement. "Even though we came up short, we're proud of our bid and the hard work that went into our proposal. It showcased the attractiveness of our city along with the beauty of Red Rocks and the great football fans of this region.
"We believe there's no better place for the NFL Draft than Denver. Alongside VISIT DENVER and the Denver Sports Commission, we'll take a close look at the feedback we've received and do everything we can to make it happen soon."
Denver was among five finalists — along with Nashville, Cleveland/Canton, Kansas City and Las Vegas — to host the draft next year.
The Broncos pitched a two-site setup that would have utilized both Red Rocks Amphitheatre and downtown Denver.
Denver is also a finalist to host the draft in 2020, but that does not appear to be a viable possibility given the city's scheduling conflicts and the lack of hotel availability.
The Broncos will now fine-tune their pitch and reset their focus on 2021 and following years.
After 50 consecutive years in New York City, the draft moved to Chicago for two years in 2015 and 2016. Philadelphia hosted the event in 2017, and Dallas held the most recent draft at AT&T Stadium in April.
The draft now seems set to rotate each year, as cities have lined up to bid on the event.
Following Wednesday's news, Denver's opportunity to host the event will have to wait at least a year.
