The NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay for the first time in 2025, the league announced Monday during its spring meetings.

Events will take place inside and around Lambeau Field and Titletown, a complex with shops, activities and restaurants located near the iconic home of the Packers.

"The draft has become a prominent offseason event hosted in different cities with 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.

The NFL Draft was held in New York City from 1965-2014, then took place in Chicago (2015-16), Philadelphia (2017), Dallas (2018), Nashville (2019), Las Vegas (2022) and Kansas City (2023).

"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 and CEO Mark Murphy said.

"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.”

NFL owners approved a rule change that they hope will prevent a repeat of what happened in last season’s NFC championship game.

The bylaw passed on Monday allows NFL teams to designate an inactive third quarterback who can play if the first two QBs are injured during a game.

The third QB will not count against the limit of active players and will only be activated if either of the first two quarterbacks are injured or disqualified – not due to a benching for poor play.

If either of the first two QBs are later cleared to return by the team’s medical staff, the emergency quarterback must then come out.

This rule amendment had been discussed after the San Francisco 49ers’ only two active quarterbacks were injured in January’s NFC title game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brock Purdy injured his elbow and his backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion, forcing Purdy to return.

Purdy, though, wasn’t a threat to throw, and without a functioning quarterback the 49ers couldn’t get anything going offensively and suffered a 31-7 loss.

For a league that prides itself on excitement, the highly anticipated game was a bore when San Francisco had the ball, but this new rule should make games more competitive if the first two quarterbacks were to get injured.

Jim Brown, widely considered the most dominant football player of his era and one of the best running backs of all time, has died. He was 87.

A bruising runner who never missed a game, Brown led the NFL in rushing in eight of his nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns and appeared in nine consecutive Pro Bowls. He averaged 104.3 rushing yards per game and remains the only player in league history to average over 100 rushing yards per game for his career.

Brown won the league’s MVP award in 1957, 1958 and 1965. At the time of his retirement in 1966, Brown held the single season rushing record with 1,863 yards and was the career rushing leader with 12, 132 yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 in his first year of eligibility.

"Jim Brown was a combination of speed and power like nobody who has ever played the game," former NFL player and coach Dick LeBeau told Sports Illustrated in 2015.

"If he got into the secondary, he was so good at setting you up and then making you miss. You just didn't know if you were going to get a big collision or be grabbing at his shoelaces."

Brown became one of the first pro athletes to parlay his fame into notable off-the-field accomplishments and made the transition to acting while still playing for the Browns.

He stunned the sports world by announcing his retirement prior to the 1966 season at 30 years old. Brown went on to appear in over 30 films, including The Dirty Dozen and Ice Station Zebra as well as the blaxploitation movies Slaughter and Three the Hard Way.

While playing a variety of roles, Brown performed with some of the leading stars of the day. He appeared with Raquel Welch in 100 Rifles and was involved in one of the first interracial love scenes.

Overshadowed by his remarkable NFL career, Brown's college career at Syracuse was equally impressive. He was a consensus first-team All-American and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in his 1956 senior season after he rushed for 986 yards and 13 touchdowns despite playing only eight games.

Brown, who also excelled in basketball, track and especially lacrosse at Syracuse, was named the greatest college football player of all time by ESPN during a ceremony at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 13, 2020.

Brown was also no stranger to public service. He created the Negro Industrial and Economic Union in the early 1960s to help establish black entrepreneurs and was an activist during the civil rights movement.

He then spent much of his post-NFL career fighting for social justice and change. In 1986 he founded Vital Issues, aimed at teaching life management skills and personal growth techniques to inner-city gang members and prison inmates.

Brown also experienced his share of legal troubles throughout his life and was dogged for years by accusations that he physically abused women.

He was arrested in 1999 following a domestic disturbance with his wife, who accused Brown of making threats towards her. A jury later found Brown guilty of hitting his wife's car with a shovel during the incident. He was fined $1,800 and sentenced to three years' probation and one year of domestic violence counselling.

Brown served as an executive adviser to the Browns from 2005-2010 and was named a special adviser to the team in 2013.

He is survived by his four children, as well as his first wife, Sue Jones, and second wife, Monique.

A vote to approve the record sale agreement of the Washington Commanders will not take place next week at the NFL's owners meetings.

NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller told reporters in a conference call the league will provide an update on the proposed ownership change at next week's meetings in Minneapolis, though a formal vote for approval will take place at a later time.

Earlier this month, embattled owner Dan Snyder agreed to sell the Commanders to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris for $6.05 billion, the largest purchase price for a professional sports franchise in North America.

"The league staff and finance committee will continue to review the details of the transaction," Miller said on Thursday. "We will provide membership with an update in Minnesota."

The Harris group, which includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, contains multiple limited partners which must be vetted by the NFL before a vote can proceed. The sale will require the approval of 24 of the league's 32 owners to become official.

"Any transaction like this deserves due process, and we will do it as expeditiously as we can. [We have] plenty of people working on it, and doing so is a priority," Miller added.

Snyder and his wife, Tanya, announced in November they would be putting the historic franchise up for sale following a congressional investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct and financial misdeeds.

The NFL launched an additional probe headed by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White, which is still ongoing.

The Snyder family purchased the Commanders, then known as the Redskins, from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke in 1999. After years of opposing changing the team's controversial nickname, Snyder finally relented in 2020 amid heavy pressure from activist groups and corporate sponsors.

The Kansas City Chiefs will begin defence of their Super Bowl title by hosting the upstart Detroit Lions as the NFL announced a few more select games on its 2023 regular-season schedule Thursday morning.

The league also revealed when and where Aaron Rodgers will make his highly anticipated debut with the New York Jets, who will host the AFC East-rival Buffalo Bills on Monday, Sept. 11 in a nationally televised primetime game on ESPN.

Detroit will visit Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 7 to officially start the NFL's 2023 campaign, with the game to be broadcast on NBC beginning at 8:20 p.m. ET.

The Chiefs will also be playing at home on Christmas Day with a matchup against their longtime AFC West foes, the Las Vegas Raiders. The NFL announced on Wednesday that the reigning champions will host the Cincinnati Bengals on New Year's Eve in a rematch of last season's conference championship game, which Kansas City won 23-20 on a late field goal.

Also announced is a clash between two of the NFC's marquee teams in Week 5, when the San Francisco 49ers will host the Dallas Cowboys in prime time on Oct. 8 as part of NBC's "Sunday Night Football" package.

The entire 2023 schedule for all 32 teams will be revealed Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The NFL announced dates and times for eight games, including five International Series matchups that will take place in either London or Germany, on Wednesday.

The NFL announced a handful of games for the 2023 season on Wednesday before the league’s full regular-season schedule will be unveiled Thursday night.

A first-ever Black Friday game will take place on November 24, as new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will lead New York against the visiting Miami Dolphins.

The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles will host the New York Giants on Christmas Day, while the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals on New Year’s Eve in a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game.

The NFL also announced there will be five international games – three in London and two in Germany.

In London, the Jacksonville Jaguars will become the first team to play two games outside of the United States in the same season when they face the Atlanta Falcons on October 1 at Wembley Stadium and the Buffalo Bills the following week on October 8 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will also host the third London game on October 15 when the Tennessee Titans take on the Baltimore Ravens.

After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Germany last season in Munich, the league will return to Germany for two games at Frankfurt Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs will meet the Dolphins on November 5, and the New England Patriots will face the Indianapolis Colts on November 12.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will make NFL history this year by playing back-to-back games in London.

The UK has long been the Florida franchise’s home away from home and October will see them become the first team to play two of their regular season games outside of the United States.

The Jaguars kick off the 2023 International Games against the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley – their 10th game in England as part of a multi-year commitment to play in the region.

That October 1 fixture is followed with another London game the following week as the Buffalo Bills host them at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 8.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said: “We are excited to again compete in the NFL’s International Games and face off against the Falcons and Bills in London.

“Hosting the Falcons at Wembley Stadium will be awesome only to be followed by playing on the road against the Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“I’m pumped for the experience and know the support from Duval will be strong at both games.”

The Jags normally spend three days in London when they play across the pond, but this schedule means they are to set to spend 10 days in the capital around these games.

Jaguars vice president of UK operations Maria Gigante said: “We are delighted to be the first team to ever play back-to-back games in London, which is fitting as the Jaguars are very much the UK’s team.

“Playing in London is always a fantastic occasion, and we are committed to making Wembley the most authentic NFL home game experience for the fans and team, and with the addition of a game on the road versus the Bills we have a great opportunity to engage for a much longer period – and we have some very exciting things planned.”

The 2023 NFL London Games will wrap up on October 15, when the Tennessee Titans play the Baltimore Ravens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

A post shared by NFL Deutschland (@nfldeutschland)

The schedule then continues onto Germany, which successfully hosted their first regular season fixture last year in Munich.

This time around there will be two games, both being held at Frankfurt Stadium.

Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs face the Miami Dolphins on November 5, before the New England Patriots take on the Indianapolis Colts on November 12.

Will Levis was expected to hear his name called on day one of the 2023 NFL Draft. That did not happen as both he and Hendon Hooker missed out on being taken as first-round quarterbacks.

Kentucky star Levis had been in the conversation to potentially go as high as the second overall pick, but will now need to decide if he wants to continue waiting in the green room on day two.

Levis battled injuries in his second and final season at Kentucky but, with an extremely strong arm and the athleticism to make plays with his legs, he entered the draft seemingly firmly in the top-10 mix.

Yet no team was even willing to take him in the top 31 picks, a surprising turn of events even considering Levis' often inconsistent deep accuracy and his struggles when his process was sped up.

Hooker was seen as more of a fringe first-rounder despite helping Tennessee lead the FBS in points and yards per game in 2022.

He suffered an ACL tear in November but has made good progress in his recovery and this week posted a video on Twitter of him dropping back to pass for the first time since his injury.

Despite Hooker's encouraging recovery, the NFL did not deem him worthy of a day-one selection, the pre-draft conversation around the 25-year-old the Virginia Tech transfer having been dominated by discussion about his age compared to his quarterback contemporaries in the class and the offense he played in at Tennessee, which asks players to do very little of what they will be tasked with at the highest level.

Both Levis and Hooker will be anticipated to go early on day two and eyebrows will be raised if their respective waits go on much longer.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the first wide receiver off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft, getting the chance to join a formidable group at the position with the Seattle Seahawks and prompting on a run on picks at the position.

Five wide receivers had gone in the top 10 over the course of the previous two drafts, but it wasn't until pick number 20 that the Seahawks finally selected Smith-Njigba.

He links up with a receiver group that already features two Pro Bowlers in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, giving more ammunition to quarterback Geno Smith.

Smith-Njigba missed all but three games for Ohio State last season owing to a hamstring injury.

However, he was outstanding in 2021, racking up 1,606 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, his success coming in large part through his tremendously smooth route-running, excellent ball tracking skills and elusiveness after the catch.

The Seahawks, who earlier took cornerback Devon Witherspoon fifth overall, will look for Smith-Njigba to help lift them to the top of the NFC West. Seattle reached the playoffs last season with a 9-8 record, finishing second in their division to the San Francisco 49ers, whom they lost to in the Wild Card round.

Another wide receiver went with the next pick after Smith-Njigba as the Los Angeles Chargers selected TCU star Quentin Johnston and the run continued as the Baltimore Ravens took Zay Flowers from Boston College on the day that saw them finally agree to terms on a new deal with former MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.

USC's Jordan Addison, maligned by many because of his 5ft 11in and 178-pound frame, was the next to go off the board as the Minnesota Vikings put those concerns to one side, betting on his route-running prowess and yards after catch upside.

In an NFL draft full of early surprises and trades, the Detroit Lions turned some heads Thursday by trading down in the first round and selecting Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the number 12 pick.

The Lions chose to double down on a team strength as Gibbs lands in a run-focused offense under coach Dan Campbell and joins a backfield that already features D’Andre Swift and former Chicago Bear David Montgomery.

Gibbs was the second running back taken Thursday after Texas' Bijan Robinson went to the Atlanta Falcons in the number eight slot.

The last time two running backs were selected that high in the draft was in 2017, when Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey were both taken in the draft’s first eight picks.

Gibbs began his college career with two seasons at Georgia Tech but broke out as a big-play threat for Alabama in 2022. His draft stock rose after the scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds.

At 5-foot-9 and 199 pounds, Gibbs will likely continue to split time in the backfield after having only 383 total carries in three college seasons.

Detroit started the night with the number six pick – acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in the Matthew Stafford trade – and their own number 18 pick. They continued to defy conventional positional value with pick 18, selecting off-ball linebacker Jack Campbell out of Iowa.

Bijan Robinson did not have to wait long to have a team take a chance on him in the 2023 NFL Draft, as he was selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons.

First-round running backs have grown increasingly rare in recent years, with the days of the position being viewed as a premium one long gone.

But Robinson's talent is such that he has long since been seen as an exception to the rule, and the Falcons made him the first top-10 running back since Saquon Barkley went second overall to the New York Giants in 2018.

There can be little doubt he has earned his selection with such a high pick.

Robinson racked up 1,580 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground in his final season with Texas in 2022. On top of that, he had 314 receiving yards and two further scores through the air. His 1,894 yards from scrimmage were second most in the FBS.

As a runner, Robinson wins with his scarcely believable change of direction quickness that allows him to evade defenders almost at will, along with contact balance to slip through tackles and field-flipping speed.

His X-factor is what he can do as a receiver. Robinson runs routes like a wideout and has shown the ability to go up and make outstanding grabs and the catch point.

Robinson can be a substantial weapon from anywhere in the offensive formation and, by adding him to a backfield that already included Tyler Allgeier - who went for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season -- the Falcons now arguably have one of the most dynamic running back rooms in the NFL.

The Philadelphia Eagles gave up a 2024 fourth-round pick to move up one spot from 10th to ninth overall, selecting Georgia's standout defensive lineman Jalen Carter.

Carter, 22, led a historically great Bulldogs defense to consecutive National Championships in 2021 and 2022, earning unanimous selection as an All-American as a junior this past season.

He finished his three-year career at Georgia with 83 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in 35 total games, and has been called arguably the most talented defensive tackle prospect since Aaron Donald.

Viewed as one of the draft's premier talents, his stock took a tumble after he was involved in a street race that resulted in the death of his Georgia team-mate Devin Willock in January.

Carter pleaded no contest to a misdemeanour and will face no jail time, although it was enough to cross his name off some teams' boards atop the draft.

The trade saw the Chicago Bears move back one spot to 10 after their anticipated pick Paris Johnson Jr was taken by the Arizona Cardinals at six, and they stayed with their plan to take an offensive lineman, selecting Darnell Wright.

Anthony Richardson vowed to make his own legacy in the NFL after he was selected fourth overall by the Indianapolis Colts.

The most exciting prospect at any position in this draft, Richardson has the highest ceiling of all the quarterbacks in the class, but saw two go before him in Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud.

Indianapolis, however, did not hesitate to pull the trigger and select Richardson, making him their quarterback of the future despite concerns over a lack of experience in college.

Richardson started only 13 games for Florida, but those games were an exhibition of his remarkable potential, which is illustrated by his incredible arm and ability to blend elusiveness, power and speed as a runner.

He improved his standing as a potential top-five pick with a stunning workout at last month's Scouting Combine, which saw him run the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds at 244 pounds.

With his frame and his talent on the ground in the open field, Richardson embraced comparisons to both Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson, dubbing himself 'Cam Jackson'.

But speaking on stage after being selected, he said: "It's time to make my own legacy now."

The Colts will hope he quickly starts writing it in Indianapolis as they look for a return to prominence after a 4-12 season in 2022.

The Houston Texans have struggled to find an identity since the departure of Deshaun Watson. On Thursday, the franchise's rebuilding effort got a new face on each side of the ball.

With the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Texans selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

In a stunning move, the Texans then acquired the third overall selection from the Arizona Cardinals to draft pass-rushing linebacker Will Anderson Jr. out of Alabama.

In return, the Cardinals received the 12th overall pick, as well as the number 33 pick in the second round, and a first- and third-round pick in 2024.

Houston is the first team with two of the top three picks in a single draft since Washington back in 2000.

The Texans' picks came after the Panthers drafted Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the top overall pick, acquired from the Chicago Bears.

Stroud was a two-year starter for the Buckeyes, tallying 85 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions. He was a 2022 Heisman Trophy finalist and cemented himself as a top-tier pro prospect by throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns in a College Football Playoff loss against Georgia – the eventual national champions.

At six-foot-three and 214 pounds, he projects as a traditional pocket-based quarterback who has been hesitant to create opportunities with his legs.

Anderson led the Alabama defense for three seasons, making 34.5 sacks in 41 career games. After landing on the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2020, Anderson followed with 17.5 sacks in a decorated sophomore season.

Anderson lacks the elite size and athleticism of the very best pass-rushers, but he was consistently disruptive over an impressive career at Alabama.

Bryce Young was the heavy favourite to go first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and there were no surprises as the Carolina Panthers selected the Alabama quarterback with the opening pick.

The Panthers traded up from the ninth pick in a deal with the Chicago Bears last month to have their choice of the top four quarterbacks in the class.

In recent weeks it became apparent Young had emerged as the frontrunner, and he will now be tasked with elevating a talented Panthers team back to playoff contention.

The Panthers have not had a winning season since the 2017 campaign.

Young experienced little other than winning during his time with Alabama, going 23-4 in two seasons as a starter with the Crimson Tide.

He finished his collegiate career with 8,356 passing yards, 80 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Young thrived primarily because of his ability to navigate often chaotic pockets with consummate ease, also showing the ability to create throwing windows by moving defenders with his eyes.

A tremendous off-schedule playmaker, Young can make dynamic plays as a runner and throwing on the move, yet his improvisational playing style will have been a concern to some teams given he is undersized at 5ft 10in and 204 pounds.

Young's size arguably makes him a substantially increased injury risk, but the Panthers are betting on him to stay healthy and turn them into perennial contenders in the NFC South.