Nick Suss, Nashville TennesseanFri, November 21, 2025 at 5:06 PM UTC·3 min readNFL commissioner Roger Goodell made it pretty clear that Tennessee Titans fans should expect Nashville to host a Super Bowl... someday.
"The work that they've done here from the moment you had the draft and what you've done to change the trajectory of the draft ― you actually took the draft and you made it yours, but you did it in a way that was incredibly impactful to the NFL and the Titans ― and I think all of us at that moment had the wake-up moment that this is a Super Bowl-ready city," Goodell said from the steel topping out ceremony for the new Nissan Stadium construction project. "The one thing that's missing is the stage. I think now we're building a great stage.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"We have a process, but now I have every expectation you're going to see that type of thing in the future."
The Titans held their Steel Topping Out Ceremony on Nov. 21, a significant step in the completion of the new stadium project. More than 2,000 construction workers, team and stadium personnel and statewide dignitaries were on hand to watch the final steel beam representing the highest point of the stadium be placed. Such dignitaries included Tennessee governor Bill Lee, Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk and Goodell, as well as Titans officials ranging from president and CEO Burke Nihill to president of football operations Chad Brinker.
The NFL's Super Bowl selection process is a years-long effort that involves applications, submissions and approvals regarding everything from local hotels and accommodations to climate. But the stadium is a huge factor, and the expectations for the new Nissan Stadium, which is slated to open in 2027, are that it will be the kind of venue the NFL can use as a centerpiece.
Tennessee has never hosted a Super Bowl, despite being home to an NFL team since 1997. The Titans moved into the existing Nissan Stadium in 1999, an open-air structure that's lacking in several of the key amenities that define modern sportsgoing experiences. Goodell said on a panel with Lee, Nihill and representatives from the Tennessee Builders Alliance that one of the keys to a modern stadium is replicating the experience fans would have if they watched from home. That means concessions, comfortable seating, accessibility and the technological capabilities to stay connected with the outside world from inside the venue.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe new Nissan Stadium will be an enclosed arena with outdoor terraces that replicate the experience of a rooftop bar. Nihill eluded to the Titans being in the phase now where they're exploring how to add "home field advantage nuance" to the project.
As the final beam was raised, Adams Strunk and the rest of the top Titans brass watched from where the Pinnacle Club on the north side of the stadium will be when the building is completed. Hundreds of the estimated 6,000 construction personnel who've worked on the process cheered on as the beam raised out of the club and toward the new stadium's perimeter, heading the direction of the La Quinta Inn & Suites across the road from the site.
Goodell remained to watch the project's milestone.
"We believe in you," Goodell said on behalf of the NFL to Nashville. "And I think you're starting to believe in yourself."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Super Bowl in Nashville? Roger Goodell talks NFL's, Titans future
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