Browns reportedly floated stadium renovation plan to city officials

Team officials reportedly pitched a plan to Cleveland City Council seeking more than $500 million in public funding to fix up current stadium.

It is not exactly a state secret to say that Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam are interested in upgrading the team’s current situation at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Hastily built to be ready in time for the team’s return in 1999, the stadium lacks the modern amenities that appeal to wealthier fans, and the sight lines, concourses, and overall vibe are not all that great for the average fan. (We’ll set aside, for the moment, the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs have somehow managed to survive playing at Arrowhead Stadium since 1972.)

In the past 10 years, the Las Vegas Raiders (2020), Los Angeles Rams (2020), Los Angeles Chargers (2020), Atlanta Falcons (2017), Minnesota Vikings (2016), and San Francisco 49ers (2014) have all moved into shiny new stadiums, and the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills are scheduled to follow in the next few years. So it is understandable that the Browns want, and in terms of revenue, need to keep up with the rest of the league.

On the heels of a recent report that the Haslams are looking at – but have not bought – 176 acres of land in the suburb of Brook Park, and the ongoing debate over whether or not the Browns need a domed stadium comes a report from Signal Cleveland that the team pitched a renovation plan to local officials last fall.

According to the story by government reporter Nick Castele:

But last October, in a round of meetings at Browns headquarters in Berea, the team pitched City Council on a ballpark figure: $500 million to $600 million from the public, according to two members who attended. They asked not to be identified because they were sharing details from a private meeting.

That represents half of the $1 billion to $1.2 billion that a stadium overhaul might cost, according to one attendee. The Haslam Sports Group proposed picking up the other half.

The team wouldn’t ask the City of Cleveland to handle the public share alone. Mayor Justin Bibb has already said Cleveland would need help from Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio.

The article goes on to point out that the $1 billion cost that is being tossed around is more than the estimated replacement cost of the current stadium, which the city values at $800 million for insurance purposes.

There are a few key takeaways from all this:

• The first is that the current stadium lease does not expire until 2028, so it is not as if the Browns are going to stop playing at their current home.
• The second is there were no details provided about how the Browns arrived at the $1 billion-plus figure for renovating the current stadium. Everything involved with stadium deals is a bit absurd, but the idea of putting $1 billion into renovating the current stadium when the Bills are building a stadium for $1.5 billion seems odd in comparison.
• Going a bit further on that point, it is no surprise that the Browns would float some different ideas past city officials as both sides are in negotiation mode. Team officials coming up with a figure of what it “could” cost to renovate is just another step in the process.

This latest news is no more or less dire than the news about Haslam Sports Group looking at land in the suburbs. They are keeping their options open and working to put pressure on the city to come up with as much funding as possible to limit how much they have to spend out of their own pockets.

It is all part of the process and one that is not going to conclude anytime soon.