Featured image credit: Roger Starnes Sr on Unsplash
Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have revealed that the NFL team has two “great options” as it weighs up whether to carry out a major revamp of its current stadium or build a new domed venue.
Last month, the Browns said they were “methodically looking at every possibility” following a report that the team has a deal in place to acquire a parcel of land outside of Cleveland that could house a new stadium.
A report from real estate blog NEOtrans said that the Browns’ ownership body, Haslam Sports Group, has a contract to acquire a 176-acre parcel of land in Brook Park, around nine miles southwest of Downtown Cleveland.
Brook Park has previously been mentioned as a potential location for a new stadium. The Browns’ current lease deal at Cleveland Browns Stadium, formerly FirstEnergy Stadium, is due to expire following the 2028 NFL season and talks have been taking place with the city over a redevelopment project.
The Browns have called the 67,431-seat stadium home since it opened in 1999 and a cost-sharing deal would be needed for a revamp that would reportedly cost around $1bn (£792m/€924m).
The Haslams are yet to commit to a new stadium or a redevelopment of Cleveland Browns Stadium, and it is not clear when a decision will be made. A new domed stadium would increase the amount of events the Browns can host throughout the year, while a revamp of Cleveland Browns Stadium would help breathe new life into the downtown area of the city.
Speaking at the NFL Annual Leagues Meetings this week, Jimmy Haslam said: “We have two potentially really good options, a major remodel of where we are now that will be, Dee used the word transformative, for Cleveland Browns Stadium. It’ll be transformative or build a new dome stadium.
“They’re both very hard to work out. But we have two great options. We’re going to pursue them both. And sometime in the next year or two, we’ll say, ‘Okay, here’s the direction we’re going.’”
Dee Haslam added: “When you start thinking about what Cleveland can be and what the vision for this city is, I think we underestimate what a great place it is. And I think there’s an opportunity here to perhaps build a dome stadium that can transform our area. That’s something exciting to think about.
“We’re looking at both options. Not one option is above the other. But I do think that Cleveland deserves to be thought of as this evolving, forward-thinking, creative city as opposed to not thinking big.”
The Haslams added that naming-rights deals for the stadium would be explored. The Browns’ long-standing deal with FirstEnergy ended in April last year.
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