It’s all positive vibes for the Cincinnati Bengals now that a new lease agreement with Hamilton County has gone public.
If there’s a small hiccup in the news worth looking at right now, it’s a point raised about how the Cincinnati Reds also happen to have a lease expiration coming up right around the same time this new proposed Bengals agreement ends.
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic captured those concerns from one of the prominent members involved in the negotiations:
“An interesting point by Commissioner Alicia Reese, who was vocal about her concerns with the proceedings, was that the Reds’ lease will be coming up at about the same time, and that could make for a very complicated and burdensome situation for taxpayers. The good news is the county, Bengals and Reds have 10 years to prepare for that as countless variables change.”
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Still, that’s a small blip on the overarching story right now, as this new agreement involving Paycor Stadium can run through at least 2036. Many, many things can change between now and then, ranging from the Reds doing their own thing to nationally or even globally when it comes to how stadium agreements even form, are paid for, etc.
Otherwise, the fact the new agreement goes well into the mid-2030s before any of the multiple possible two-year extensions is a positive. So is the Bengals paying rent and the $470 million renovation cost getting split 75-25, with the county on the hook for the bigger number, which is still less than last time.
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