Hamilton County blames Bengals for delayed stadium deal

[Arkansas Bengal]

• By
• Mike Florio

  

Published April 4, 2025 09:59 AM

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All eyes in Cincinnati are suddenly on the ticking clock toward an expiration of the Bengals’ lease at Paycor Stadium. Earlier this week, Bengals executive V.P. Katie Blackburn acknowledged the reality that, without an extension, the Bengals are technically free to play anywhere in 2026.

 

To the extent that time is running short, the powers-that-be in Hamilton County want everyone to know it’s not their fault.

 

“I’m ready to get out the blank piece of paper, get out an ink pen and let’s get down to the lease,” Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece said at a public meeting on Thursday, via Scott Wartman of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Can we get a deal or can we not get a deal? And I think the taxpayers deserve to know.”

 

Reece also asked Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto whether the county was doing anything to delay the negotiations with the Bengals. Aluotto said, “No one is slow-walking this process. We’re moving expeditiously. We’re moving purposefully on this.”

 

Reece also wants Ohio to come to the table. Legislation is pending to give the Browns $600 million in bonds as part of a proposed $2.4 billion stadium. She said that the current budget in the Ohio House of Representatives “shuts out the Bengals.”

 

“We can’t be late to the table,” Reece said. “We can’t be getting the crumbs. . . . On every issue they think about us last. I don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat. It’s always a fight to get our fair share down here, to get our respect.”

 

Regardless of whether and to what extent Ohio will get involved, there are several basic truths at play here. First, the Bengals’ lease will expire before the 2026 season, absent an extension. Second, Blackburn acknowledged that the expiration of the lease means geographic free agency. Third, the negotiations to date have not been good.

 

Is it likely the Bengals would leave Cincinnati?

 

No.

 

Is it possible?

 

Yes.

 

Is there a reason for any interested city or county in the United States (or in theory beyond) to start piecing together a proposal to lure the team to town?

 

Absofrickinlutely.

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/hamilton-county-blames-bengals-for-delayed-stadium-deal

[Le Tigre]

Florio is a brain-dead clickbait artist. 
 

“Geograpically free” sans lease. 
 

It’s not so, dumbass

[Gary]

Was Paycor built on the cheap? It's 25 years old or there about, but aren't football stadiums supposed to last 30-40 years? It would suck if the Bengals moved. They need to sell the dang team to someone with limitless $$$$$. 

 

People are all pissy about the city paying for part of a new arena because of how rich the NFL is. I would NOT die on that hill if I were a Bengal fan. I have already been through something like this living in Sacramento. We almost lost our Kings to the crappiest city in the USA (other than Portland), Seattle... I don't have a tie to Cincinnati at all, but after going through the whole arena thing in Sacramento I wouldn't wish that fight on anyone. 

 

Being that Sacramento has two pro teams at the moment (We have the A's for 3 or 4 years), and are financing a stadium for MLS soccer, (to move the Sacramento Republic FC up to MLS level) I don't see a reason why they wouldn't make it dual purpose if there was an NFL team looking to move (not the Bengals though). We have the least amount of pro teams for how big our media market is. If the Las Vegas stadium deal dies then we are set to build a stadium for the A's to stay in Sacramento. Maybe we could get the Cardinals or something. Arizona doesn't appreciate them. 

[Arkansas Bengal]

Could the Bengals leave town? Breaking down Katie Blackburn's comments on ongoing stadium negotiations

 

 

 

Photo by: Maddy Schmidt

Paycor Stadium in September 2022.

 

By: Taylor Weiter

Posted 4:44 PM, Apr 03, 2025

 

and last updated 7:09 AM, Apr 04, 2025

CINCINNATI — If you've been on social media in the past 24 hours, you might have noticed some quotes floating around claiming the Cincinnati Bengals might not be in the Queen City in the coming future.

 

Multiple outlets have reported that Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn commented that the team could go "wherever we wanted" if they choose not to extend their lease this June, but that's not where her comments ended.

 

We're breaking down what Blackburn said with information from reporters who spoke to her, and the county officials currently negotiating with the Bengals.

 

Did Katie Blackburn say the Bengals could go "wherever we wanted?"

 

Yes. Multiple reporters who sat with Blackburn Tuesday during the NFL's annual league meetings in Palm Beach confirmed she mentioned the team's ability to leave Paycor Stadium if they choose not to extend their lease.

 

"We could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year if we didn’t pick the option up," The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. quoted Blackburn as saying. "We'll see. Like I said, all these things will be done in due course. 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."

 

When asked about the possibility of moving, Blackburn stated that those conversations were not "where we are focused at the moment," Dehner wrote.

 

Is there a chance the Bengals actually leave town?

 

Sure, there is a chance. As we've reported many times, the county’s lease with the Bengals is set to expire on June 30, 2026, but the team could opt for five consecutive two-year extensions, the first of which they would need to decide on before or on June 30 of this year.

 

But while Blackburn is quoted by multiple outlets as saying the Bengals could "go wherever we wanted" if they decide not to extend their lease this June, she also made clear that the team likes their current location.

 

"We love where we are," Blackburn said in that same interview, per The Athletic. "I’m a big proponent of being downtown. I think that’s a great thing for the city. I think the location of the stadium right now is good."

 

We also spoke with ESPN's Ben Baby, who was there and said he felt the sharing of only Blackburn's first quote "mischaracterized" her comments.

 

"The way that I felt it when speaking to Katie with other reporters, it didn't come across as a threat, it came across as one of the options available to them," Baby said. "But most importantly, the biggest thing in that 30-minute sit-down we had with the Bengals executive vice president is they wanted to work through things currently with Hamilton County."

 

Baby likened Blackburn's comments on their stadium negotiations with the county to that of a team's negotiations with a star player — "both sides trying to get this thing hashed out in order to get a win-win for both parties."

 

What is the state of negotiations between the Bengals and Hamilton County?

Blackburn's comments Tuesday reveal more about the Bengals' opinion on ongoing stadium negotiations. She is quoted as saying things are moving "very slow," and noted they have "a lot of work to do" to get everyone on the same page about an extension and renovations.

 

In a meeting Thursday, Hamilton County officials pushed back on any commentary that things are moving slowly.

"I think the board is aware, no one is slow-walking this process," County Administrator Jeff Aluotto said. "We're moving expeditiously, we're moving purposefully on this."

 

Aluotto told county commissioners they've had direct conversations about some of the "major terms of the lease" and will have a fuller report on the situation in the coming days. He also noted the county hopes to get state funding on this project, like the Browns are hoping to receive for their new stadium.

 

"We've had direct conversations with the state, with the governor's office on trying to ensure we get state funding here to offset some of the local property taxpayer burden on the stadium," Aluotto said.

 

The Ohio House's current budget proposal includes an amendment that would change state law to allow lawmakers to make unprecedented financing commitments to certain pro sports projects. However, we previously spoke with legislators who noted Hamilton County and the Bengals are left out of that proposal.

 

 

https://www.wcpo.com/sports/football/bengals/could-the-bengals-leave-town-breaking-down-katie-blackburns-comments-on-ongoing-stadium-negotiations?fbclid=IwY2xjawJdK4xleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHlFDpnjtOPdz1Zl69ClDdxfidf28PM6SrS7YDFPt_47JcLf04ggpVjXuMBBA_aem_WTZq-am7HcTxMgg1kYosGw

[T-Dub]

I know it's supposed to be a net gain with money spent downtown etc etc, and it probably is.. but I hate the idea of taxpayers paying for a $5B pro sports franchise's stadium. I am also fairly certain that tax revenue could be put to good use elsewhere, instead. Not to get all pinko commie liberal but maybe we invest our public funds in things we want that don't necessarily turn a direct profit? Like, that's why we spend tax money on them instead of them being a business? Example: they could make the Brent Spence a toll bridge instead of funding upkeep with tax money, but which would you prefer?

 

Just saying.. Why does the National Football League need Hamilton County, Ohio to buy them anything? Do we really need to compare their annual incomes? It's corporate welfare.

[sparky151]

Certainly it's corporate welfare. The site "Field of Schemes" chronicles the experience of various cities. They are always promised that a publicly financed stadium will pay for itself by increased economic activity and people who see the city's teams on tv will want to vacation or have conventions there. The actual experience seems to be that the stadia don't pay for themselves and additional economic activity in the area around the stadium is mostly cannibalizing alternative entertainment possibilities in the same metropolitan area.

 

[|High School Harry|]

I think the Bengals should move to Norwood, boy howdy!

[Griever]

Lol

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/bengals-bears-could-in-theory-come-together-and-pay-for-a-stadium-in-chicago

[sparky151]

Someone had too much time on his hands. 

[Griever]

3 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

Someone had too much time on his hands. 

Harebrained idea for sure

[sparky151]

The league would probably charge a relocation fee of $1 bil for another team that wanted to move to the Windy City. We know MB wouldn't willingly pay that and maybe couldn't. If the lease doesn't get done, they'll bluster about St Louis or Memphis or wherever. 

 

[T-Dub]

2 hours ago, sparky151 said:

Someone had too much time on his hands. 

 

Seriously, total nonstarter.  Might as well have suggested moving the team to Mars.

[BronxBengal]

WTF is it with the hack Mike Florio and why the hate on Cincinnati?  Every single story about the Nati from this hack is venomous.  Moving to Chicago and combining with the bears on a stadium is fantasy but he gets his wish shitting on the Nati again.  Pick on Cleveland it is a shittier city.

[|SF2|]

On 4/5/2025 at 6:28 PM, sparky151 said:

The league would probably charge a relocation fee of $1 bil for another team that wanted to move to the Windy City. We know MB wouldn't willingly pay that and maybe couldn't. If the lease doesn't get done, they'll bluster about St Louis or Memphis or wherever. 

 

St Louis I could see, no way anyone goes to Memphis on purpose.  

[CincyInDC]

On 4/6/2025 at 2:27 AM, BronxBengal said:

WTF is it with the hack Mike Florio and why the hate on Cincinnati?

 

he is a steeler homer and he can get fucked at his earliest convenience.

[sparky151]

Florio lives in West Virginia and the Stealers are the closest team to him but he says he's a Vikings fan. That's why he doesn't want them to add Aaron Rodgers, whom he dislikes. 

[LostInDaJungle]

What is becoming obvious is that under Katie, we keep hearing more and more negotiating partners complain that they have no one to negotiate with. The refrain of "We haven't heard from them" is becoming common. From the agents for Bates, Jamarr and Tee, to Hendrickson, to the County. It strains belief to think everyone else is lying and that we can trust the Bengals FO.

I keep hearing people assume that the Bengals simply aren't incompetent enough to keep cold shouldering these critical negotiations... But time and time again we hear the same thing. Katie makes a demand, and then refuses to talk to you. And then runs to the media and acts like she is talking to you. Forcing the other side, every single time, to come out and be like "WTF is she talking about??"

Is it a negotiation strategy? If so, I'm not sure how effective it is. Not to mention the general dick-ness of the gesture. But this is too many people singing the same song for us to have the melody wrong at this point. Mike had his faults, but he generally wasn't perceived to be an asshole. Katie seems about as warm as polar bear piss, and half as popular. Boomer still finds nice things to say about Mike Brown. I doubt Katie will ever have that.

 

[spicoli]

Yawn. 

[T-Dub]

On 4/7/2025 at 3:13 PM, LostInDaJungle said:

What is becoming obvious is that under Katie, we keep hearing more and more negotiating partners complain that they have no one to negotiate with. The refrain of "We haven't heard from them" is becoming common. From the agents for Bates, Jamarr and Tee, to Hendrickson, to the County. It strains belief to think everyone else is lying and that we can trust the Bengals FO.

I keep hearing people assume that the Bengals simply aren't incompetent enough to keep cold shouldering these critical negotiations... But time and time again we hear the same thing. Katie makes a demand, and then refuses to talk to you. And then runs to the media and acts like she is talking to you. Forcing the other side, every single time, to come out and be like "WTF is she talking about??"

Is it a negotiation strategy? If so, I'm not sure how effective it is. Not to mention the general dick-ness of the gesture. But this is too many people singing the same song for us to have the melody wrong at this point. Mike had his faults, but he generally wasn't perceived to be an asshole. Katie seems about as warm as polar bear piss, and half as popular. Boomer still finds nice things to say about Mike Brown. I doubt Katie will ever have that.

 

 

 

The more we hear from her the more entitled and disconnected she sounds, to me at least.  There's a time to be "tough" but begging the public to pay for the rumpus room for their billion-dollar toys probably ain't it. 

 

Besides which, the statement is plainly false and everyone knows it.  They can't move anywhere without a lot of legal hurdles and a boatload of money changing hands.  Her options are either building somewhere in the general area, almost certainly without the same kind of sweetheart deal she got for offering one of the county negotiators a cushy high-paying job to come over to her side of the table (criminal, honestly), or moving the team to some other B-list city, except now no one there cares about the team and oh yeah, also all the formerly loyal fans hate you.

 

Good luck with that shit.  Be sure and remind the NFL lawyers who your grandfather was...

[Griever]

[-GoBengals-]

well it would be a pretty startling series of events if the city blamed themselves...

 

this like saying Trey Hendrickson blames the bengals for a deal not being done...

 

sure... thats the only option..

[-GoBengals-]

if they could replace all stairs with escalators... thatd be great..

 

 

[I_C_Deadpeople]

Could they also ask for 2 starting guards?

[Jamie_B]

The scoreboard thing I don't see much difference? 

 

All the other things seem reasonable.

[Griever]

26 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

The scoreboard thing I don't see much difference? 

 

All the other things seem reasonable.

Might be bigger, could also just be relocated. I think the main thing is the big enclosed glass area underneath it instead of it all being open-air