The Cincinnati Bengals and Hamilton County have signed a new lease agreement for Paycor Stadium. The conclusion of negotiations ends years of uncertainty and controversy surrounding the future of the stadium and its tenant.

Details of the agreement

After months of discussions and a tense final stretch, the Cincinnati Bengals and Hamilton County authorities have finalized a new 11-year lease for Paycor Stadium. Under the agreement, the team will continue to play its home games at the downtown venue through at least 2036. The deal also includes an option to extend the lease for another 10 years, which could keep the Bengals at the stadium through June 2046.

The 25-year-old venue is set to undergo modernization, but it will be some time before the work is completed. In the world of online entertainment, however, things are quite different – the excitement starts instantly. A great example is USDC casino sites, where you can quickly find the right crypto casino for you with the best promotions.

The final stage of talks was particularly tense. The Hamilton County commissioners had approved a version of the lease, but the team initially did not sign it, claiming it had not received the final version ratified by local authorities. Both sides continued negotiations throughout the night, and the final signatures were placed during a special session the following day.

We stood firm on what we thought was best. I think that this lease agreement is good for the people and the team. This I feel is the people’s lease and I feel proud of that, said Stephanie Summerow Dumas, one of the three county commissioners, emphasizing the importance of the compromise.

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Renovation, not reconstruction

The new agreement includes a $470 million plan to modernize Paycor Stadium. Hamilton County will cover $350 million, while the Bengals will contribute $120 million from their own funds. This is significantly less than the team's initial $830 million proposal.

The planned upgrades include renovating club areas, suites, concession stands, and video boards. In the longer term, there’s also the possibility of building a permanent indoor facility, which would be a major improvement for the team’s training conditions. For years, Cincinnati was the only northern NFL team without an indoor practice facility – a situation temporarily remedied in 2022 with a bubble constructed across the street from the team’s existing fields.

We aren’t looking for fancy, new things. We’re going to try to spruce up the club area. There are some areas around and about in the concession area. There are things that are going to be improved but we aren’t going to put a dome over the top. We aren’t going to put a mammoth scoreboard in. It is going to be what it has been, pretty much, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, said team owner Mike Brown, tempering expectations about the scale of the modernization.

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Pride in being part of the city

For the Bengals, staying in Cincinnati and investing further in Paycor Stadium also carries symbolic weight. The Bengals thank Hamilton County and its Commissioners for demonstrating leadership and taking steps that continue moving Cincinnati forward, Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn said in a statement. It solidifies the future of the Bengals in Cincinnati, our beloved home, for many years to come. Today’s deal embodies a responsible approach for the future, while at the same time keeping Paycor Stadium a great venue that can provide our great fans the great gameday experience they deserve, said team executive vice president Katie Blackburn in a statement.

She added that the lease keeps Paycor Stadium on par with other communities around the country and a focal point for Cincinnati's riverfront. We love Cincinnati and are proud to call this town home.

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Closing a difficult chapter

The agreement puts an end to years of tension and controversy over the stadium's fate and that of the team. The original 1996 lease had been widely criticized for giving the Bengals too much negotiating leverage, granting the club excessive control over the facility and its rental terms. The new contract, negotiated under much more balanced conditions, aims to correct that past mistake.

The agreement also fits into the broader context of sports infrastructure investment in Ohio. For example, the Cleveland Browns are planning to build a new domed stadium in Brook Park and are set to receive as much as $600 million in state funding. The Bengals and Hamilton County also intend to seek support from the Ohio state budget to help ease the financial burden of modernization.