Hamilton County, Cincinnati Bengals reach preliminary agreement on stadium improvements

CINCINNATI (AP) — Hamilton County and the Cincinnati Bengals have reached a preliminary agreement for $185 million in improvements to Paycor Stadium for the 2026 season.

Hamilton County commissioners will vote on the agreement on April 29. The team and county agreed to a memorandum of understanding Monday night and it was discussed during a county commission meeting on Tuesday.

The agreement would be the first step toward both parties agreeing toward a new lease and up to $830 million in stadium renovations.

The Bengals have called Paycor Stadium home since 2000. It was originally named Paul Brown Stadium until the team sold the naming rights in August 2022.

The first phase would cover upgrades to the club lounges, stadium suites and concessions. The Bengals would pay $120 million for those improvements with some of the money coming from a loan under the NFL’s G-5 program.

The county would pay $64.5 million for fixes to escalators, elevators, the electrical grid, glass refurbishment and fixes to the stadium scoreboard control room.

Both sides have until June 30 to agree to a new lease or approve the first of five two-year extensions. The Bengals’ original lease expires on June 30, 2026.

Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn told reporters during the recent NFL meetings “we could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year if we didn’t pick up the option. … We are having discussions, and so we’re hopeful that the county is thinking about it a lot too and wants to get it addressed in a way that would be beneficial to both of us.”

Hamilton County has asked the state of Ohio for $350 million for stadium improvements. The request comes as state lawmakers are also considering the Cleveland Browns request for funding toward construction of a new domed stadium in the suburb of Brook Park, which is about 15 miles (24.14 kilometers) south of Cleveland.

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