The Cleveland Browns have had an interesting offseason, and it appears as if the upcoming 2025 campaign will be a tough one for them. However, that doesn’t mean the team isn’t planning for brighter days in the future, and it sounds like their efforts to secure money to help them fund a new stadium in Ohio received a crucial ally in NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently.
The Browns have played at Huntington Bank Field, also formerly known as Cleveland Browns Stadium and FirstEnergy Stadium, since it opened in 1999. Cleveland’s ownership team, led by Jimmy Haslem, has been pushing a proposal to open a new stadium in Brook Park, and while progress has been made, the deal may need Goodell’s support in order to get over the hump.
Roger Goodell Backs Browns New Stadium Proposal
A budget was approved regarding the funding of the proposed stadium back in April, which would see $600 million of the $2.4 billion to be paid back by taxes generated at the site. However, there could be some speed bumps, as the Senate could alter these plans, and Gov. Mike DeWine has continued to push for the creation of a stadium fund that would double the tax on sports gambling companies.
That has left the deal up in the balance, so Haslem opted to call in reinforcements. Goodell joined Haslem in a meeting with DeWine on Tuesday and other Ohio leaders, throwing his support behind Haslem’s plan to secure funding for this new stadium. When speaking on the meeting, Goodell sounded encouraged by the progress made, while also making it clear he believes this deal would benefit not just the Browns, but the surrounding Brook Park area.
“All of the conversations have been incredibly positive. Tremendous leadership by the governor and leadership by (the General) Assembly,” Goodell said per Rich Exner of cleveland.com. “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.”
“There’s very strong leadership on the state level and a focus, determination to get this done, which I think is extraordinary opportunity for the state, for the community of Brook Park, and I think the NFL and the Browns,” Goodell added.
Browns Set to Enter Rebuild Year in 2025
Getty ImagesCleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski works with quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
While the stadium plans are an exciting topic for the Browns, there’s much less excitement surrounding the 2025 campaign. The front office is working on digging themselves out of the hole they created when they signed Deshaun Watson to a massive five-year, $230 million contract extension immediately after swinging a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans to bring him to town.
Watson has been a massive disappointment with the Browns, and he’s expected to miss potentially the entire 2025 campaign after he re-ruptured his Achilles back in January. That leaves an uninspiring group of quarterbacks in tow, with the depth chart consisting of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. It may be a rough season, but Cleveland’s stadium proposal is a sign that brighter days could be ahead.
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