The Cleveland Browns are poised to leave their current stomping grounds for a cutting-edge $2.4 billion stadium in Brook Park, putting the future of Huntington Bank Field on the chopping block.
Originally mulling over a $1.1 billion renovation of their present venue, the Browns have chosen to pack up and move. They’re throwing down a hefty $1.2 billion, with the rest funded by Ohio taxpayers courtesy of the state’s $4.8 billion Unclaimed Funds kitty. If the move goes through, Huntington Bank Field could meet its end by 2028 after the Browns’ lease expires.
Ohio’s legislators have greenlit a state budget that feathers the nest for the Browns’ relocation plans, earmarking $600 million in public funds for their proposed new home just 10 miles shy of downtown Cleveland.
Strategically located near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the site boasts more than just a sports venue—it’s an entertainment hub designed to dazzle fans and bolster the Browns’ return to NFL glory following a promising draft pick—Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
NFL bigwig Roger Goodell joined forces with Ohio Governor DeWine and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam in talks that hint at the construction of an all-weather arena with a roof. “All of the conversations have been incredibly positive. Tremendous leadership by the governor and leadership by [the General] Assembly,” was Goodell’s upbeat report to 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.”
Yet, the strategy has met with considerable backlash, including concerns about financial missteps and neglecting the lakefront location held since 1946. The Cleveland team has been a fixture at the Municipal Stadium from its beginning in 1946 up until 1995, after which the previous owner, Art Modell, relocated the club to Baltimore, now recognized as the Ravens.
In a move that left the city’s sports legacy in its original home, Modell forfeited the team’s name, hues, and historic prestige. The Browns inaugurated what was initially known as the Cleveland Browns Stadium in 1999.
Sports Illustrated reports that an amendment critical to the ‘Art Modell Law’, initially aimed at preventing franchises from exiting publicly-financed stadiums, has been introduced into Ohio lawmaking.
DON’T MISS…
This amendment delineates that such legislation does not apply when teams migrate within their home county, paving the way for a significant obstacle to be cleared for the Browns’ potential shift to Brook Park.
State Rep. Tristan Rader, opponents among them, cautioned in a statement: “Ohioans’ private property should not be taken without due process, and certainly not to subsidize billionaire developers,” denouncing the proposal as an economic sham riddled with constitutional concerns.
The drive for a new stadium may also be an attempt to secure a Super Bowl hosting gig, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell making it known that the Browns’ current venue doesn’t meet the mark for the league’s grand finale.
“I would tell you that [the existing stadium] doesn’t match the standards or the qualities that current stadiums are matching,” Goodell remarked.
“More importantly, I think our projects are changing from pure stadiums, but to really significant developments and mixed-use, type of developments beyond the stadium that can generate significant economic impact to the local communities.”
