NFL's smallest market prepares to host league's top offseason spectacle as draft comes to Green Bay

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Corey Behnke was a 7-year-old attending a Green Bay Packers preseason game with his grandfather when he pointed to the homes across the street from Lambeau Field and vowed to live there eventually.

Now he has one of the best spots to watch as the NFL’s greatest offseason spectacle takes shape.

The NFL draft’s annual pilgrimage to cities across the league is arriving in Green Bay next week with all the pageantry that comes from operating in the home of the NFL’s only publicly owned franchise.

“I think it’s going to be iconic in a way that other drafts aren’t,” said Behnke, now president of the neighborhood association of the area adjacent to Lambeau Field.

As soon as the NFL started taking its draft around the country nearly a decade ago, Packers officials wondered what it would take to bring the event to Green Bay. They realized they’d never get a Super Bowl because of Green Bay’s small population and frigid February weather.

Hosting a draft would be the next best thing.

The possibility that Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy envisioned so long ago now becomes reality just as he prepares for his retirement this summer. As draft-related construction continues in the area around Lambeau, one of several Packers-themed signs in the yards of homes across the street from the stadium includes this message: “Draft Dreams on Murphy’s Turf.”

“For us, we’d been seeing how the draft has grown and what it’s become, and knew the kind of impact it would have, not just on the local Green Bay community, but the entire state,” Murphy said. “Since we’re a community-owned team, that’s really one of our top priorities, is to give back to the community. It’ll be the largest event ever held in Green Bay.”

Therein lies the challenge.

The Green Bay metro area includes about 320,000 people, according to Discover Green Bay spokesman Nick Meisner. The city itself has a population of under 110,000. Bringing the draft to a town of this size creates obstacles that league officials didn’t have to worry about when this event took place in Chicago, Philadelphia or other major metro areas.

Green Bay has about 5,000 hotel rooms, a figure that gets up to 10,000 when nearby Appleton is included. That means plenty of fans watching the draft may have to stay a couple of hours away in Milwaukee or Madison, though many of them already are accustomed to doing that for Packers home games.

“When people say, can the city handle it, well, what does that mean?” Behnke asked. “Do we have enough hotels? No, but we knew that. Does Wisconsin have enough hotels? Yeah, I think so. I think a lot of people (understand) the fact that it’s going to be a driving event. People are going to drive here. But I also think that’s how games are. … I think people are kind of used to driving an hour-and-a-half or two hours to get to Green Bay.”

The smaller population likely means a smaller number of people at this draft. Murphy said a total attendance of about 250,000 is expected, less than one-third of the record crowd of over 775,000 that attended last year's draft in Detroit. Crowd figures are measured by adding the attendance numbers for each of the draft’s three days, so one person who attends all three days would be counted three times.

“The beauty of the draft is you can adapt it to any environment you’re in,” said Jon Barker, the NFL’s senior vice president for global event operations. “With each draft, there’s always going to be challenges that you need to overcome, but there’s also great opportunity.”

Those opportunities involve focusing on the tradition and history of a place Behnke calls “the best football town in America."

For instance, one of the NFL’s greatest training-camp rituals occurs at Green Bay each summer, as players borrow children’s bicycles to ride from the locker room to the practice field. Packers officials referenced this tradition in their draft bid by sending a Packers-themed bike to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office.

“We had our draft pitch in video form in the basket in the Packer bike,” said Gabrielle Dow, the Packers’ vice president of marketing and fan engagement.

Without giving too much away, Barker said part of Thursday’s draft opening will incorporate that bike tradition. A bike parade for children is planned for Saturday.

There are other local connections as well. When first-round picks hear their names called, they’ll go through a walkway featuring artwork from Milwaukee-based Ike Wynter, who will have made each of his pieces of reclaimed wood from discarded furniture collected across the state. Former Wisconsin Badgers such as Jonathan Taylor, Joe Thomas, Tim Krumrie and James White will be announcing picks on the draft’s second and third days.

Lambeau Field also will play a central role in this draft, though this sprawling event encompasses millions of square feet surrounding the stadium. Admission is free, and television screens all over the area will enable fans to watch the draft even if they’re far from the stage and taking in the NFL Draft Experience, a fan festival featuring games, exhibits, activities and autograph sessions.

When probable first-round selections make their red-carpet entrance Thursday before the draft, they’ll walk onto the field known for its Frozen Tundra nickname. Fans will be able to go into the stadium to watch the draft on the giant scoreboard. The stage on which the picks are announced is in a parking lot just east of Lambeau Field.

“I think it’ll be a three-day commercial not just for Green Bay but for the entire state,” Murphy said. “So many different things that are unique and special to Wisconsin, you’ll see that as a part of it.”

It also will showcase how much growth has taken place in the area around Lambeau Field.

The Resch Expo, a 125,000-square-foot facility just east of the stadium, opened in 2021 and will serve as the green room for draft prospects. The NFL Draft Experience will be at Titletown, a 45-acre development just west of Lambeau Field that features offices, shops, restaurants and apartments.

“If those developments don’t happen, I don’t think we get the draft,” Meisner said.

The draft should have an economic impact of $20 million for Brown County and $90 million for Wisconsin, according to Beth Jones Schnese, Greater Green Bay Chamber vice president of marketing/member engagement. She said that equates to the amount generated by three straight Packers home-game weekends. It also means some inconveniences for local residents with all the road closures and traffic headaches.

Then again, this community is used to expanding for several weekends each football season. This is just a super-sized example.

Behnke knows that as well as anyone. His family has owned Packers’ season tickets since Lambeau Field opened in 1957. He was born in Green Bay, started living across from Lambeau Field full-time about five years ago and co-founded the Cheesehead TV Packers fan site.

He believes the Packers are ingrained in the Green Bay community in a way that’s different from other cities that have multiple pro sports franchises. They’re accustomed to accommodating fans who consider visiting Lambeau Field a bucket-list item.

“I do think as stewards and ambassadors of the city, I think people take that very seriously,” Behnke said. “We’re not just Wisconsin nice or Minnesota nice or Midwestern nice. I think people understand we have an obligation and a responsibility to the people who come here, to show them a good time, which is what you see on gamedays. So I think that will just extend.”

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FILE - Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. AP Photo/Matt Ludtke, File)

Corey Behnke, who lives across the street from Lambeau Field, stands in front of some of the Green Bay Packers memorabilia he has collected on Thursday, April 17, 2025 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Stephen Megargee)

Corey Behnke, is photographed across the street from Lambeau Field on Thursday, April 17, 2025 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Steve Megargee)

FILE - An elevated overall general view is seen of Lambeau Field during an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)

U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.

Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.

Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross checking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

The Latest:

A witness told the AP that the streets of Tehran empty at the sunset call to prayers each night.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, addressed “Dear parents,” which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

—- By Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Iran drew tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators to the streets Monday in a show of power after nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.

Iranian state television showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square in the capital.

It called the demonstration an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying anger in the country over the nation’s ailing economy. That sparked the protests over two weeks ago.

State television aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests, as claimed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the day.

China says it opposes the use of force in international relations and expressed hope the Iranian government and people are “able to overcome the current difficulties and maintain national stability.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing “always opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs, maintains that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “in the strongest terms the violence that the leadership in Iran is directing against its own people.”

He said it was a sign of weakness rather than strength, adding that “this violence must end.”

Merz said during a visit to India that the demonstrators deserve “the greatest respect” for the courage with which “they are resisting the disproportional, brutal violence of Iranian security forces.”

He said: “I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threatening it.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday suggested that a channel remained open with the United States.

Esmail Baghaei made the comment during a news conference in Tehran.

“It is open and whenever needed, through that channel, the necessary messages are exchanged,” he said.

However, Baghaei said such talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”

The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.

The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.

Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.

“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.

Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.

Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.

A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.

Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.

Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.

The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.

Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and show solidarity with Iran in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Activists carrying a photograph of Reza Pahlavi take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)