Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn is shedding more light on the Cincinnati Bengals’ future in the city going forward.
The Bengals’ Paycor Stadium lease with Hamilton County is the biggest non-football question surrounding the team this offseason.
The deadline is looming as the current lease expires on June 30, 2026. However, the team has the opportunity to opt for five two-year extensions and would have to submit written notification to Hamilton County at least 12 months prior.
The franchise has until June 30 this year to decide whether to take their first two-year extension and stay at Paycor Stadium.
Cincinnati Bengals executive Katie Blackburn said that unless the team strikes a deal with Hamilton County on its lease at Paycor Stadium or exercises a two-year extension option, it could “go wherever we wanted.”According to The Athletic, Blackburn, the daughter of Bengals owner Mike Brown, made the comments at an owner’s meeting in Palm Beach, Florida.“We could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year if we didn’t pick the option up,” Blackburn said.
“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.”
The Cincinnati Bengals Are Trying To Get Back Into The Playoffs After Down Season
Off the field, the Cincinnati Bengals are deciding whether to play at Paycor Stadium in the future.
On the field, the franchise would love to have a much better year in 2025 than they had in 2024.
The Bengals finished the 2024 NFL season with a 9-8 record, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year, despite a late-season surge.
The team came off back-to-back showings in the AFC Championship and a Super Bowl before their missed chances the past two years.
They have made several moves with new contracts with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
However, their issues have been on the defensive side of the ball.
