Bengals Strike 10-Year, $470M Stadium Deal to Stay in Cincinnati

The Bengals will remain in Cincinnati through 2036, after an expiring stadium lease had threatened their future in the city after this season.

The NFL franchise and Hamilton County have agreed to a new 10-year lease to continue playing games at Paycor Stadium, and give the venue a $470 million renovation. There is an option for a further 10-year extension through 2046. That total renovation cost is down significantly from previous proposals, which climbed as high as $1.2 billion.

The team’s current lease was set to expire in 2026, unless a new deal was agreed to by June 30. In April, Bengals EVP Katie Blackburn sparked concern when she said, “We could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year.”

On Thursday, Blackburn, who is the daughter of Bengals owner Mike Brown, heralded the new lease extension as a “significant day for the Bengals and Hamilton County as we secure the team’s future in Cincinnati.”

The Bengals will invest $120 million in the renovation project and cover 75% of the new improvements to the stadium. An official announcement said the franchise and Hamilton County would “continue to work collaboratively to secure meaningful funding from the State of Ohio to further support the renovation efforts.” 

Specific details on how that public funding will be secured are unclear. Other NFL franchises around the country, including the Bengals’ in-state neighbor, the Cleveland Browns, have struggled to get public stadium funding. However, the cost of Cincinnati’s proposed project is far lower than new stadium builds and other upgrades that can be well into the billions.

Paycor Stadium opened in 2000 and was known as Paul Brown Stadium after the franchise’s late founder until 2022.