The Cincinnati Bengals just want a more permanent place to live. The Bengals’ current lease at Paycor Stadium runs out after the 2026 season and the negotiations between the team and Hamilton County have gotten contentious. But, it seems like the team wants to get moving on a new lease deal.
This week, the Bengals have announced that they intend to pursue a new agreement to keep them at Paycor without the use of funds from the state of Ohio.
Bengals’ director of stadium and event operations, Duane Haring, said that while the team would welcome help from the state, they are fully prepared to go ahead with Hamilton County independently.
Haring said in a statement to Local 12 WKRC-TV:
“The Team appreciates the State’s openness to supporting local stadium projects, as it has historically. We continue working hard in Columbus on funding options. An agreement between the Bengals and Hamilton County can be achieved now without waiting on what the State ultimately decides.”
Rumors about the Bengals’ stadium plans have been flying for a while now. At one point, there was speculation that the Bengals could share a stadium with the Chicago Bears temporarily or maybe even just outright move to St. Louis.
It doesn’t sound like either of those options was ever close to reality as the Bengals would prefer to stay put.
The Bengals previously asked for state funding
This story is a bit all over the place. Back in April, the Bengals and Hamilton County had jointly petitioned the state of Ohio for $350 million for stadium renovations and upgrades. Then, in May, there was a report from Paula Christian and Dan Monk of WCPO-9 that the Bengals had struck a deal with Hamilton County.
“Under the proposed agreement, the Bengals would spend $120 million to renovate East and West Club Lounges, upgrade all 132 stadium suites, improve concessions, and for stadium beautification projects such as plazas, entryways, and concourses,” Christian and Monk reported.
Hamilton County Commission President Denise Driehaus said then that this was pioneering for Paycor Stadium.
“The $120 million private investment from the Bengals and the NFL marks an unprecedented commitment in the history of Paycor Stadium. Never before has the NFL invested in our public asset, and never before have the Bengals invested so much,” Driehaus said in a statement.
Maybe this is why they feel like they don’t have money to pay Trey Hendrickson.
Where does Paycor Stadium rank amongst NFL stadiums?
How bad is Paycor? Is it that badly in disrepair? Apparently, it’s not too well thought of throughout the NFL.
Paycor Stadium, which opened prior to the 2000 season, is similar to the Bengals’ defense in that it was ranked 25th in the NFL in 2024. Tom Dierberger of Sports Illustrated ranked NFL stadiums heading into last season and Paycor was towards the bottom.
Listing Paycor at No. 25 overall, he concluded, “‘The Jungle’ is one of the cooler nicknames for any football stadium, but the facility just doesn’t quite live up to it.”
USA Today wasn’t quite as nice. They polled six of their NFL writers to get their thoughts on the stadiums throughout the league. The Bengals’ house came in 28th…out of 30.
“Formerly known as Paul Brown Stadium, it sits next to the Ohio River. Fans inside can look across the water and see Kentucky from the downtown location. The lower and middle seating sections provide good views of the action. But the upper deck can be unappealing, especially during winter. The location gives fans a good feel of Cincinnati. Great American Ball Park (home of MLB’s Reds), the National Underground Railroad and Freedom Center and other tourist attractions are within walking distance from Paycor,” Tyler Dragon wrote.
That doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement. The one thing it seems that all parties can agree upon is that Paycor Stadium needs upgrades. This would be in line with the team itself, which could also use some upgrades. Whether or not the state of Ohio eventually chips in, the Bengals seem to want to stay put in Paycor.
Bengals Pursue New Stadium Deal Without State Funds