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Ben BabyJun 26, 2025, 02:00 PM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the institution successful July 2019. Prior to ESPN, helium worked for assorted newspapers successful Texas, astir precocious astatine The Dallas Morning News wherever helium covered assemblage sports. He provides regular sum of the Bengals for ESPN.com, portion making appearances connected SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A autochthonal of Grapevine, Texas, helium graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's grade successful journalism. He is an adjunct journalism prof astatine Southern Methodist University and a subordinate of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI -- Hamilton County and the Bengals took a large measurement toward keeping the NFL franchise based successful downtown Cincinnati.
On Thursday, the committee of region commissioners approved the tentative model for a $470 cardinal statement that volition support the squad successful its existent location of Paycor Stadium done astatine slightest 2036. The wealth volition beryllium utilized to renovate the stadium that opened successful 2000 connected the banks of the Ohio River.
The woody comes aft talks had ramped up importantly up of the pending June 30 deadline for the squad to widen its existent lease that expires aft the 2025 season. The fiscal presumption approved Thursday volition springiness the region and the Bengals further clip to finalize the adjacent lease statement betwixt the 2 sides.
In a statement, Bengals enforcement vice president Katie Blackburn said it was a "significant day" for some the franchise and Hamilton County.
"We convey the Hamilton County Commissioners for supporting this statement to guarantee Paycor Stadium remains an fantabulous venue and a focal constituent for Cincinnati's riverfront," Blackburn said. "We are arrogant to telephone Paycor Stadium our location and to support our aboriginal present successful Cincinnati, wherever it belongs."
The region committee voted 2-0, with commissioner Alicia Reece abstaining. Dating backmost to astatine slightest past year, Reece has expressed interest astir the backing operation for a imaginable caller stadium and the county's fiscal committedness compared to the Bengals. In the woody approved Thursday, Hamilton County volition beryllium capped astatine $375 million. The Bengals and the NFL, arsenic portion of the league's G-5 indebtedness program, volition lend $120 million.
"Essentially, this is simply a indebtedness from the NFL," said David Abrams, a advisor for Inner Circle Sports who was contracted by the region for this negotiation. "The NFL volition beryllium contributing, but it is fundamentally connected the backmost of the squad to marque bully connected their promises to the league."
Including 2025, the projected caller lease volition person 11 basal years that volition tally done June 2036. There volition besides beryllium 5 two-year hold options, which besides existed successful the archetypal lease the region and the Bengals signed successful 1997.
This one, however, contains a unsocial wrinkle. Previously, the squad exercised afloat power implicit each option. In the existent proposal, Hamilton County tin execute the archetypal enactment automatically if the Bengals fertile 24th oregon amended successful full gross among the league's 32 teams. This lease besides forces the Bengals to wage $1 cardinal successful rent successful each of the archetypal 3 years and past $2 cardinal successful each consequent year.
The projected full outgo of $470 cardinal is simply a fraction of what was envisioned past twelvemonth erstwhile the broad renovation program was introduced.
MSA Sport unveiled a imaginable renovation of $1.2 cardinal that featured stadium upgrades and a caller squad office and grooming halfway astatine the tract of the team's existent signifier fields crossed from Paycor Stadium. The task outgo further dropped to $830 cardinal earlier Thursday's connection unveiled a further driblet successful the last outgo that limits payer funding.
"Compare this to different renovations going connected astir the country, this is astir apt a little outgo of archetypal superior than conscionable astir anyplace that I'm moving successful the NFL," Abrams said.
Throughout the past 2 large plans, the Bengals' fiscal committedness has remained astatine oregon astir $120 million. On Thursday, the county's presumption noted that its backing of 75% of the full outgo was little than successful different cities specified arsenic Charlotte oregon Baltimore. The Carolina Panthers' existent stadium operation is subsidized by 81.25%. The Ravens are committing conscionable $20 cardinal to its renovation of M&T Bank Stadium that volition outgo astir $490 million, with the remaining wealth coming from authorities funding.
The Bengals and Hamilton County person sought authorities funds for Paycor Stadium renovations. However, nary person been allocated yet. The Cleveland Browns are projected to person $600 cardinal successful authorities dollars for their task that besides includes $2 cardinal successful backstage funding.
But portion each of the last details, including eventual execution of the lease, are yet to beryllium ironed out, Thursday marked a important infinitesimal successful what was termed arsenic a "spirited" treatment betwixt the Bengals and region officials.
"I truly didn't deliberation we'd beryllium present contiguous astatine all," Hamilton County commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas said astatine Thursday's meeting. "Not that I was negative, but things were conscionable going successful antithetic ways, it was described that way. I'm conscionable truly blessed astir being here. Our squad and their squad person worked hard to go a winning team."
