- Video shows Monday's press conference with Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich and Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas discussing what preparation for the NFL Draft consists of.
- Mayor Genrich told me the city is ready to bring on the draft, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
- Fans list traffic, weather conditions, and lodging as top possible challenges the city could face.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
In April, Kansas City hosted the 2023 NFL Draft, and on this Packers victory Monday there was no bad blood between Kansas City and Green Bay.
The mayors of both cities address the successes and potential challenges of the NFL Draft coming to Green Bay in 2025.
From the moment we were awarded the NFL Draft, the work truly began.
Work that might seem tremendous for the smallest market in the NFL.
"This is an opportunity for us to be on the world stage," Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich said. "We're really well experienced in hosting some of these large scale events."
But even with experience, it's not an easy task.
"There's a lot that we need to do to coordinate with the village of Ashwaubenon, Brown County, our business partners and others throughout the community, but that's why we're talking about it at this stage," Genrich said.
On Monday, Genrich talked with the mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas, who says he is in full support of helping Green Bay get ready for the draft in 2025.
He says having enough lodging is important and talks about his own experience during the draft.
"I asked him 'Where are you staying', and he said I don't know yet. (He) just some how got a flight to Kansas City, found his way there, was gonna pull something up later," Lucas said. "This is kind of the set of people you have so we need to make sure we have good places for them and I think that's why a lot of this pre-work is necessary."
Fans express what they believe will be the biggest challenge.
"One concern would probably be the traffic. Being local we don't know what's really going to be like."
"The weather is a little bit of a concern."
"I don't know if people who are fans of the Falcons, Jaguars and the Dolphins would want to come up here and watch their teams make their picks or not but I think it will be a good experience for them."
And both Genrich and a representative from the Packers tell me that a concrete location and security plan is still in the works and we will provide an update once that information is available.
