When it comes to hosting a Super Bowl, it is roof or bust.
The NFL has made no secret of the fact that it likes to take unpredictable February weather out of the equation when crowning a champion.
GettyHuntington Bank Field is exposed to the elements[/caption] GettyCleveland Municipal Stadium hosted MLB and NFL action for decades[/caption]As a result, most owners across the league are looking to build indoor stadiums as the Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears eye hosting the greatest show on turf. The Buffalo Bills will buck the trend, but they are built differently in upstate New York.
The Cleveland Browns appear to be sick of cold-weather games after years of epic encounters in the snow.
Owner Jimmy Haslam looks to have shelved plans for a redevelopment of Huntington Bank Field in favor of relocating to Brook Park.
The team’s lease at its lakefront home expires in 2028 and a new site for a domed arena has been located near Cleveland Hopkins Airport.
But government officials aren’t happy with the proposition, which would see the team front $1.2billion, state funds contribute $600million and Cuyahoga County add another $600m.
Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne have both suggested that the state should block the proposal, which would see the team leave the downtown location it has called home since 1946.
“I want to keep surfacing the truth and the truth is the Brook Park proposal is too risky,” Ronayne said. “Our analysts at the county have deemed it too risky.
“I’ve said to the public it’s too risky, and we urged the legislative services commission to analyze it and the office of budget management and both have done that and found in the same week that it’s overly risky for the state.”
The Browns played at the Cleveland Municipal Stadium from their inception in 1946 until 1995 when owner Art Modell decided to up sticks and take his franchise to Baltimore in what became the Ravens.
He agreed to leave the name, colors, and history behind and in 1999 the reformed Browns moved into what was then the Cleveland Browns Stadium.
GettyHuntington Bank Field’s days appear to be numbered[/caption]View Tweet: t.co/UOPV4txkuy
Cleveland Scene exclusively revealed an image of the $1billion lakefront redevelopment, which would see glass replace concrete for a modern arena on the historic site but, crucially, did not feature a dome.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell met Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and other leaders alongside Haslam, aiming to secure the necessary public funds for the $2.4 billion relocation.
“All of the conversations have been incredibly positive. Tremendous leadership by the governor and leadership by [the General] Assembly,” Goodell told Rich Exner of Cleveland.com on Tuesday.
“We think this is a benefit not just to Brook Park. This is a benefit to the entire area, including downtown. People coming here for events will be staying downtown. They will be eating downtown.”
Goodell dangled a large potential carrot for the state with the added comment that the proposed new stadium “would clearly be Super Bowl material.”
“I would tell you that [the existing stadium] doesn’t match the standards or the qualities that current stadiums are matching,” Goodell added.
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“More importantly, I think our projects are changing from pure stadiums, but to really significant developments and mixed-use, type of developments beyond the stadium that can generate significant economic impact to the local communities.”
The Ohio state budget will be finalized by June 30, per NBC.
Goodell and the Browns have picked relocation as the horse to back but Ronayne wants all options on the table.
“From day one, I said we need to reveal your lakefront transformation plan as well, so the public can get an honest comparison of the two plans, because both involve a request of the public for subsidies and support,” he told Cleveland Scene.
“They have never revealed what they’ve shared with other members in the community — business leaders, chamber of commerce members, public officials. It’s only fair to the public to have a full view and not just one side of an argument. Share it with your partner, the public, if that’s what you’re going to call the public.”
In response, the Haslam Sports Group issued a statement insisting the vision had been left behind.
“Those renderings were created as part of a process almost three years ago,” it read.
“We haven’t had substantive renovation discussions in months and have never been presented with a viable funding plan for a renovation from Cuyahoga County or the city of Cleveland, to pair with our private investment.”
With the June deadline a month away, the Browns are ready to get shovels in dirt by next year.
“Here’s the positive is we will know on the state funding by June 30,” Haslam said at the NFL’s annual meetings in February.
“And so assuming that goes well, then we can move quickly to try to start sometime in the first quarter of ’26. So this is not going to be a drawn out two- or four-year deal.
“It’s either going to happen and happen quickly or we’ll go to plan B.”
If the Browns and Goodell get their way, Cleveland may well host a Super Bowl soon.
GettyMason Graham and Myles Garrett are set to form a lethal defensive tandem[/caption]But if the franchise — one of four never to make the showpiece along with the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars — wants to compete on the biggest stage, improvements will be needed on the field.
General manager Andrew Berry took the bold move to trade back in this year’s NFL Draft to allow the Jaguars to jump up and select two-way sensation Travis Hunter.
In return, the Browns got an extra first-rounder in 2026 and went for Mason Graham fifth overall before making more noise by taking on Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round
Time will tell who won the trade but with Deshaun Watson‘s horror contract still looming large, Cleveland cannot afford many more wrong moves — on or off the gridiron.
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