Denver Mayor wants the city to host the Super Bowl in 2033

Denver has hosted the Stanley Cup Final, the NBA Finals and the World Series. One big game is missing, and Mayor Mike Johnston has a date in mind for it.

Johnston says Denver and the Broncos will apply to host the Super Bowl in 2033. That’s the first year the city would be eligible, because the Broncos’ new stadium at Burnham Yard is scheduled to open for the 2031 season. Johnston didn’t stop at hosting. He said the goal is to get the stadium ready for 2031 “to host our Super Bowl in 2033, and win a Super Bowl at home in ’33.” Bold, but you have to like the confidence.

Denver has never hosted a Super Bowl, and the weather is a big reason. The NFL likes to send its biggest game to warm cities or domed stadiums, and February at Empower Field can mean snow and single-digit temperatures. The new stadium is designed to fix that. The Broncos are building a privately funded stadium with a retractable roof on the old rail yard just south of downtown, partly to attract major national events year-round. The team still wants to play most regular-season games outdoors on natural grass, but the roof can close when the Super Bowl comes calling.

The stadium is expected to cost around $4 billion, and the Broncos haven’t released official renderings yet. A lot still has to happen before 2033. The stadium has to get built, the NFL has to pick Denver, and the Broncos would need to make the game for Johnston’s “at home” dream to come true. Still, picture Super Bowl week in Denver: parties all over LoDo, the mountains in every TV shot, and the whole country finding out what we already know. Count us in for 2033.