Titans Say Nissan Stadium 1 of Worst in NFL, Needs Around $1.8B in Renovations
May 20, 2022
Tennessee Titans CEO Burke Nihill says Nissan Stadium would need $1.839 billion in renovations to bring the building up to NFL standards by the time its lease is up in 2039, per Jon Styf of the Center Square.
However, the wheels are already in motion for the construction of a new $2.2 billion stadium that could be ready as soon as 2026.
As far as the Titans' current home goes, Nihill called it one of the worst stadiums in the NFL and badly in need of repair:
Jackie DelPilar FOX17 @jsdelpilarThe Titans CEO says years of neglect at Nissan Stadium has put it in serious disrepair. He says it's now known as one of the worst stadiums in the NFL. Titans estimate it would cost $1.8 billion to bring the stadium up to standard with the city's lease thru 2039. <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXNashville?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FOXNashville</a> <a href="https://t.co/lsB9oNXvmi">pic.twitter.com/lsB9oNXvmi</a>
Nissan Stadium, which is located in Nashville, opened in 1999.
The Tennessean reported that the domed stadium could take 31 months to build.
Styf reported that there's a new Metro Nashville budget request for $2.2 billion for the new stadium. He also noted how the Titans plan to fund the project.
"The project will not be funded by general obligation bonds but instead will be funded through revenue bonds based on sales and use taxes, $500 million from the state of Tennessee and unnamed funding from Titans ownership that would amount to an estimated $700 million."
As Chelsea Beimfohr of WKRN-TV noted, either a completely new stadium or a renovation would cost a lot of money, but parts of the stadium are "literally starting to crumble."
Per Teresa Walker of the Associated Press, Nihill said during the Nashville Sports Authority meeting Thursday that the steps are crumbling and that the Titans have worked for the past seven years to repair expansion joints.
The status quo doesn't seem like a viable option given the state of the stadium, but economist J.C. Bradbury of Kennesaw State University tweeted that $1.8 billion for renovations is an exorbitant figure:
The Titans' current home was built soon after the team moved from Houston to Nashville following the 1996 season. They played in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (1997) and Vanderbilt Stadium (1998) before settling into their current home. Known as Adelphia Coliseum then, Nissan Stadium was built for $290 million after breaking ground in 1997.