NASHVILLE – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell remembers how successful the NFL Draft was in Nashville back in 2019.
So, is the NFL considering a Super Bowl in Music City?
Goodell, in town for the NFL owners meetings at the Vanderbilt Loews Hotel, was asked that question a day after seeing a model of the new Nissan Stadium.
He raved about NFL fans in the city, and the new stadium that's currently being built.
"I think the stadium is going to be amazing," Goodell said on Wednesday. "We know the passion of the fans here – we experienced the draft here. I think a Super Bowl here would be very successful. But we'll get to that once we get a little further down the line with the stadium."
On Tuesday night, Goodell went to the Germantown neighborhood to see Titans House, the experience center for the new home of the Titans.
The by-appointment-only center will give current PSL holders and new Nissan Stadium waitlist members a guided tour through an immersive experience to learn about membership and seating options available in the new stadium.
Inside Titans House is a six-foot by eight-foot model of new Nissan Stadium that shows off every detail of the new stadium.
"It was great to see the stadium, and what they envision," Goodell said. "We'd seen plans before, but you see it come to life a little bit more."
Earlier this year, the Titans, and the city of Nashville, broke ground on a new, domed stadium on the East Bank of the Cumberland River, just to the east of the current stadium.
Expected completion date: February 2027.
Earlier this year, Titans President and Chief Executive Officer Burke Nihill expressed optimism about the city's chances of hosting a Super Bowl.
"I think the NFL loves Nashville, and they love the design of the new stadium," Nihill said. "That doesn't mean there aren't many, many details to work out to ultimately get awarded a Super Bowl.
"But I am absolutely optimistic that at some point the Super Bowl will (be) in Nashville."
Dates for the next three Super Bowls are already on the schedule:
LIX, 2025: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
LX, 2026: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
LXI, 2027: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Nihill believes the most realistic first opportunity for a Super Bowl in Nashville would be in 2029.
"Traditionally, the league doesn't award a new stadium (a Super Bowl) until it has had two full seasons of operation," Nihill said, "which means the earliest they would consider us, if they start with that same line of thinking, would be 2029."
The seating capacity for new Nissan Stadium is expected to be around 60,000, although standing room only tickets would allow for more.
The attendance for Super Bowl LV at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in February was 61,629. Attendance for Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in 2020 was 62,417.
Nihill said the Titans remain in dialogue with league officials about the possibility of a Super Bowl in Nashville.
"We have great relationships with (the NFL)," Nihill said. "We have been talking with them from the beginning about this being a stadium where the NFL should host a Super Bowl and we are very active in those conversations in trying to put ourselves in the best position to get a Super Bowl as soon as possible."
