• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

NFL Teams Eye Billion-Dollar Homes, but There’s Plenty of Pushback

  • At least four teams are seeking stadium deals, while several other projects are underway.
  • The push across the league to complete venue upgrades is hitting a historical high point.
Cleveland Browns/HKS

The NFL is a television-driven league, with the largest individual chunk of its revenue deriving from domestic media deals generating roughly $12 billion annually. But the league’s in-person presence is taking on a new level of prominence as a growing group of teams push for new or renovated facilities.

New stadiums are under construction in Tennessee and Buffalo, funding deals were approved this past offseason in Jacksonville and Charlotte, and a three-year renovation plan recently began in Baltimore. But at least four other NFL teams are pushing to solidify their own venue futures, marking one of the largest collections of unsettled situations in this area in the last generation. Among the current issues:

  • Chicago: A proposed $4.7 billion lakefront stadium is already facing significant pushback, including from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Further progress before 2025 is unlikely as Pritzker said it would be “near impossible” for the team to get an agreement through the state legislature this fall.
  • Cleveland: After weighing options between renovating the current downtown stadium and building a new $2.4 billion domed stadium near the airport, the Browns recently chose the latter. Like in Chicago, resistance to the plan has mounted quickly. But the team received a recent boost in a 20-year stadium naming rights deal with Huntington Bank that will carry over to a new facility, should one be built. 
  • Kansas City: The two-time defending Super Bowl champions are in a highly enviable position, with local affinity for the team extremely strong and political leaders in both Missouri and Kansas jockeying to be the team’s long-term home. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt says he wants to take until January 2025 to evaluate stadium options before making a decision.
  • Washington: The Commanders are looking at 2030 as the earliest date to build a new stadium, with the site of the team’s prior home, RFK Stadium, a potential option along with rival overtures from Maryland and Virginia. The team’s push to build a new venue has already been a years-long slog, but the Commanders and owner Josh Harris have the unique element of two states and the District of Columbia competing against each other.  

“We’re working super hard. I mean it’s taking up a lot of my own mind space to find our next home,” Harris said recently regarding the Commanders’ stadium site search. “We have conversations going with multiple jurisdictions. … As you peel the onion, things get more and more detailed, more and more advanced.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) breaks up a pass intended for Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown (85) on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won the game, 27-18.

Amazon Shatters Previous Ratings High for 1st NFL Game

“TNF” viewership surges 35% compared to the 2024 season average.

Trump Push to End Quarterly Earnings Has Major Sports Ramifications

U.S. President Trump proposes moving to semi-annual reporting for public companies.
Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow Out for Months After Bengals’ Pricey Offseason

Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are the highest-paid WR duo in NFL history.

Tush Push Debate Heats Up in Eagles Win, Ex-NFL Rules Chief Sounds..

The Eagles are continuing to run the quarterback-sneak play.

Featured Today

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
January 5, 2025; Maui, Hawaii, USA; Hideki Matsuyama hits his fairway shot on the 13th hole during the final round of The Sentry golf tournament at Plantation Course at Kapalua.

PGA Tour’s January Season Opener in Jeopardy With Kapalua Closed

The Plantation Course in Maui won’t reopen until at least Nov. 1.
Aug 22, 2025; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Chicago Stars FC forward Jameese Joseph (8) passes the ball during the first half of a match against the North Carolina Courage at SeatGeek Stadium.
September 4, 2025

Chicago Stars FC Move to Evanston After 12 Years in Bridgeview

Stadium plans beyond the 2026 season aren’t solidified. 
Aug 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the Denver Broncos helmet against the New Orleans Saints during warmups at Caesars Superdome.
September 9, 2025

Broncos Eye 2031 Opening for New Multibillion-Dollar Stadium

The NFL team plans a new venue and mixed-use development.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
August 28, 2025

As CFB Programs Add Corporate Field Logos, Are Jersey Patches Next?

Texas is adding a sponsor’s logo to its football field this season.
Dec 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of the Delta Center before the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Minnesota Wild.
August 19, 2025

Utah’s Sports Boom Expands Into Music, Emulating Atlanta

The Jazz and Mammoth owner strikes a major deal with Live Nation.
August 18, 2025

Browns $2.4B Stadium Plan Runs Into Airspace Turbulence

The team’s proposed stadium is deemed a threat to nearby airport operations.
Sofi Stadium
August 14, 2025

Los Angeles Olympics Will be First to Sell Venue Naming Rights

The decision breaks with a longstanding Olympic policy.