Browns stadium drama ends: Owners, Cleveland officials get what they want

The “Only in Cleveland” parts of the Cleveland Browns stadium drama may have finally come to an end on the Monday after Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season. There are still a few things, like having enough parking spaces, aviation approvals and getting everything built in time, to figure out, but the Browns will be playing in Brook Park without having to overcome any legal hurdles with the City of Cleveland.

We’ve seen a map of what the reimagined Brook Park area will look like once the team gets done building everything, with funding fully secured. All that was left was to figure out how Mayor Justin Bibb and the Haslam Sports Group would resolve the legal matters.

In the end, both sides got exactly what they wanted. The Browns get to build their new fancy domed stadium and Bibb gets a boatload of cash for the City of Cleveland in what is being called a “Historic $100 million Agreement.” The details of that agreement include a cash payment of $25 million in the next month and a half and the Haslam Sports Group’s demolition of the current stadium, at an estimated cost of $30 million.

The rest of the details are as follows:

• Beginning on January 1, 2029, pay the City of Cleveland $5 million on or before January 1 of each calendar year until January 1, 2033, totaling $25 million over five years.
• Upon termination of the Lease, HSG to invest no less than $2 million per year over the next 10 years on a mutually agreed Community Benefit Projects totaling no less than $20 million.
• Parties to mutually support infrastructure plans related to road and air travel with respect to both the Brook Park stadium mixed-use project, the modernization of Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, the development of the Cleveland lakefront, including the redevelopment of the Burke Lakefront Airport property.
• City to support the continuing progress and timely completion of transformational Brook Park stadium and mixed-use development.
• Both parties will voluntarily dismiss all lawsuits with prejudice related to Browns Huntington Bank Field move to Brook Park, OH.

A “win-win” for the two parties involved, now we wait to see if any other stadium drama pops up between now and when the new stadium is expected to open in 2029.

What stands out to you about this “historic” agreement? Are you surprised the two sides came to agreement already?

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