National Football League

The Pro Bowl Heads To Sin City

Updated Jul. 17, 2020 2:02 p.m. ET

The Raiders aren't the only ones in the NFL moving to Las Vegas.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL announced Tuesday that the 2021 Pro Bowl will be held at the brand new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders beginning this fall.

In a statement, NFL EVP of Club Business and League Events Peter O'Reilly said the league is excited to venture into a brand new market with their annual showcase game.

"We look forward to partnering with the Raiders and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to bring the excitement of Pro Bowl week to our Las Vegas fans and community for the first time. We thank the city of Orlando for its outstanding partnership in helping us to grow and evolve the Pro Bowl over the last four years. To our partners at Florida Citrus Sports, Camping World Stadium, ESPN Wide World of Sports, and Visit Orlando, we appreciate your tremendous efforts over the years and look forward to creating more memorable moments together in the future."

Meanwhile, we're all busy dreaming what the Las Vegas Strip will look like come Jan. 31, 2021 – and we think we have an idea.

Indeed, when the news broke, a few NFL players weren't shy about weighing in. Raiders QB Derek Carr celebrated the announcement with a video implying he's looking forward to trying to make his fourth career Pro Bowl appearance:

While Golden Tate said what we're all thinking ...

Isn't that right, Patrick Peterson?

Time will tell if Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium will serve as the Pro Bowl location for years to come, but historically, the game finds a spot and sticks around for at least a few years.

From 1951 to 1972, the Pro Bowl took place at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, then the home of the Los Angeles Rams and now the home of the USC Trojans. From 1972 to 1978, the game hopped around before landing and living at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii every year from 1980 to 2016, save for 2010 and 2015.

Then, from 2017 to 2020, the game moved to Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

And now? Vegas, baby!

The Pro Bowl announcement comes as the second win for Sin City already this year, considering a little less than two months ago, Goodell announced that the 2022 NFL Draft would be held in Las Vegas.

The 2020 version of the draft was supposed to be held in Las Vegas in April, but instead, was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 NFL Draft will take place in Cleveland, Ohio before returning to Vegas in 2022.

As far as the debut of Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders will host two preseason games at their new home – against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 27 and against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 3 – before debuting the new stadium in Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.

The Pro Bowl has featured some memorable moments through the years, like this hit from the late Sean Taylor at the 2006 Pro Bowl.

And how about this throwback quarterback competition featuring NFL legends Peyton Manning and Tom Brady back in 2002?

It's hopefully just a taste of what's ahead in January. Vegas, here we come.