Mike Brown gives small update on Paycor Stadium lease

2026 isn’t all that far away, and that’s when the Cincinnati Bengals’ lease at Paycor Stadium will expire. While there is not much fear that the team will leave, there are ongoing negotiations between the team and Hamilton County before a new agreement is reached.

Earlier this week, after staying tight-lipped on Joe Burrow’s contract extension, owner Mike Brown was asked about the lease and the two sides working to extend it. While he didn’t provide hardly any detail, Brown did seem motivated to keep the Bengals in Cincinnati for the long haul.

“There’s been a hard push on our end to get that underway,” Brown said. “We have indications from the county that they are ready to talk on it. And that’s where I’m going to go on that one,” Brown said.

The Bengals recently released renderings of improvements they are making to the stadium, showing that they are willing to invest.

That’s about as far Brown went on the talks with Hamilton County, but he continued to sound optimistic that a deal will get done.

“Just like Joe (Burrow), it’s an important discussion and negotiation,” Brown said. “We have to have a lease. We don’t own the stadium. The county does. We want to stay here. We’ve been here since we began. Believe me, we aren’t looking to run off. But we have to have something that works for us and works for our fans,” said Brown.

At the end of the day, we will likely see the lease extended in the next year. The back and forth between ownership and Hamilton County will continue, but both sides should have plenty of motivation to hammer out a deal.