The Cleveland Browns announced that Huntington National Bank has agreed to a 20-year naming rights agreement for the team’s current stadium, which will now be known as Huntington Bank Field. The agreement also states that the regional bank will carry over the rights to a new stadium if the Browns move forward with a proposed plan to build a domed stadium in the Cleveland suburbs.
Legends, the stadium experiences firm, negotiated the pact between the Browns and Huntington Bank.
For the Columbus-based regional bank, the naming rights provide “a high-profile platform to elevate our brand nationally,” Huntington Bank CEO Steve Steinour said in a statement. “Whether in the existing stadium or a new one, the Browns’ commitment to Northeast Ohio will continue to spur significant economic growth and development for years to come, and we are excited to be a part of that future.”
For several months, the Browns have been weighing the options of where they will play in the coming years. On Aug. 7, the team shared plans for a $3.6 billion mixed-used district in suburban Brook Park that would be anchored by a $2.4 billion domed stadium. That announcement was a counter of sorts to Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb, who on April 1 publicly declared a deadline for Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam to accept the city’s offer of $461 million toward a $1 billion refurbishment of the stadium.
The team, for its part, believes the current building “requires major infrastructure moves to improve our operational and fan experience challenges,” according to last month’s announcement. On top of limited parking options, the open-air Huntington Bank Field faces Lake Erie, and contends with the harsh elements of Ohio winters.
The newly christened stadium opened in 1999 as Cleveland Browns Stadium when the Browns franchise was revived after the original team moved to Baltimore. In 2013, a year after the Haslams bought the team from the Lerner family, the Browns announced a naming rights pact with the Akron-based FirstEnergy Corporation that was set to expire in 2029.
However, in 2020, FirstEnergy was embroiled in a bribery scandal that implicated several members of the Ohio’s House of Representatives. Last April, FirstEnergy and the Browns mutually agreed to end the rights agreement and the stadium’s name was reverted back to Cleveland Browns Stadium, creating some goodwill within the fan base.
Huntington Bank isn’t the only company that has a carryover deal for an NFL team’s stadiums. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York has a similar pact with the Buffalo Bills. “Highmark Stadium” will adorn the new $1.4 billion facility that’s under construction after the team leaves the former Ralph Wilson Stadium. Nissan has owned the rights to the Tennessee Titans’ home since 2015 and will do the same for the $2.1 billion stadium that’s set to open in 2027.