According to the Cincinnati Enquirer (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper), the Bengals franchise is looking to sell the naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium.
The team is reportedly hoping to have a new name in place by the start of the regular season and has already informed city and county officials of its plans in order to get approvals done quickly.
Cincinnati‘s AFC North rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, has also recently completed a deal to sell its naming rights to Acrisure.
Alper noted that the Bengals have joined the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears as the only three teams in the league that don’t currently have naming rights deals for their stadiums.
A new deal for Cincinnati is much-needed. According to Alper, “A recent study showed that Paul Brown Stadium needs nearly $500 million in renovations.”
“A naming rights deal likely wouldn’t cover the total cost, but it would provide more revenue to put toward that and other efforts.”
Paul Brown Stadium was opened in 2000 and was named after the founder of the Bengals franchise.
Alper noted that a sale of the naming rights would not necessarily lead to a renaming of the stadium.
He raised the possibility of Cincinnati selling the naming rights to the field, which is what the Kansas City Chiefs did in a deal to rename their home to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bengals are coming off a surprising run to Super Bowl LVI, in which they were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams 23-20.
Cincinnati is expected to once again be among the top contenders in the AFC this season with star quarterback Joe Burrow leading the way.
