After spending last season in Frisco, Texas, the East-West Shrine Bowl will return to the area again for the 2025 game, as it will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The news was reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Media.
All-star game news: The 100th East-West Shrine Bowl will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30 on @nflnetwork.
A premier venue for the centennial edition of the longest running college all-star game. pic.twitter.com/zIN4CBI2xJ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 1, 2024
The game was held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in 2022 and 2023 before moving to Frisco for 2024. Prior to that, the game was held in St. Petersburg, Fla., at Tropicana Field from 2012-2020. It’s one of the premier games for prospects to play in to prepare for the NFL Draft, along with the Senior Bowl.
The lead-up to the week with practices and interviews with teams is a big boost for players hoping to improve their draft stock. Baltimore Ravens WR Zay Flowers became the first player to participate in the Shrine Bowl to get drafted in the first round in 2023, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have a number of players on their roster who participated in the game last season. The team drafted three Shrine Bowl participants in OG Mason McCormick, DL Logan Lee and DB Ryan Watts and signed CB Beanie Bishop Jr. and QB John Rhys Plumlee as undrafted free agents. All five participated in the event last season. OLB Alex Highsmith is another notable Steelers player who took part in the Shrine Bowl.
Moving from The Ford Center, the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility where the game was held last year, to AT&T Stadium certainly helps improve the notoriety of the event, and playing on an NFL field in front of coaches and scouts will certainly be a draw for draft prospects who get invited to play. AT&T Stadium is one of the premier venues in all of sports, and having the event there should help the game become a bigger draw for players and fans.
