Saints agree to 5-year extension with Superdome through 2030

The New Orleans Saints agreed to 5-year extension with the Caesars Superdome; their lease now runs through 2030:

The New Orleans Saints are staying in the Caesars Superdome for at least five more years, as they recently reached an agreement with the state of Louisiana to extend their lease, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

The current lease now lasts until 2030, when they will need another deal. The Superdome has been the home of the Saints since it opened in 1975. Along with Saints football games, it hosts numerous other big events, making it important to the city of New Orleans.

The Super Bowl will be played for the seventh time at the Superdome in 2025. It has also been the home to three different LSU football championships. With other pro sports franchises relocating from well-established markets and experiencing instability, it’s good to see the Saints staying in New Orleans for the foreseeable future.

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The Athletic ranks Caesars Superdome as bottom-10 NFL venue

The Caesars Superdome was listed among the worst NFL venues by The Athletic, though extensive renovations could help boost its reputation | @crissy_froyd

When The Athletic recently released its list of best and worst NFL venues, the Caesars Superdome in which the New Orleans Saints play their home games did not exactly receive rave reviews.

In fact, the outlet had it listed in the bottom 10. The Minnesota Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium sat atop the list three years ago and found itself there once again at No. 1 ahead of the 2023 season.

The Athletic’s Larry Holder commended the overall atmosphere of The Dome, but also found it to be lacking in some areas.

“The Caesars Superdome gets to host Super Bowls because it’s in New Orleans, not because of the facility,” Larry Holder wrote. “It’s one of the older venues to house an NFL franchise having opened its doors in 1975. The Dome atmosphere can pack a punch when the Saints are rolling. But the building certainly feels old with zero chance of a new facility anytime soon. Plus you’d expect better cuisine inside the Dome for a city known for its dining (although it’s known for excellent Bloody Marys). That said, the Dome is on the back nine of a significant renovation that should be complete by the time the Dome hosts Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025.”

Just how improved the Saints’ stadium will be by the start of the 2025 season should be interesting to see, as will be where it ranks on their list after the renovations are complete.

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WATCH: Saints release video highlighting upgrades to Caesars Superdome

The New Orleans Saints released a video highlighting upgrades to the Caesars Superdome, many of which fans can expect for the 2023 season:

New Orleans Saints fans can expect some exciting changes and upgrades when they step into the Caesars Superdome this year. With the first Saints preseason game just three weeks away, the team released a video highlighting the work done at their home stadium this summer.

Fans should look out for a new 40-yard-long cocktail bar on the 100 level as well as spacious atriums at Gates B and H. There is a new array of concessions options as well, including grab-and-go sections and new dishes. And it’s all tied together with a system of escalators and wider concourses to ease traffic flow as fans make their way to their seats.

It isn’t finished yet — construction will continue into the 2024 offseason as the facility is modernized to endure another half-century of memories at Saints games and historic Super Bowl matchups. Stay tuned for more details.

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NOFD responds to early-morning construction fire at Caesars Superdome

The New Orleans Fire Department responded to an early-morning construction fire at the Caesars Superdome, reporting no injuries:

Thank goodness this wasn’t more serious. The New Orleans Fire Department extinguished an early-morning construction fire at the Caesars Superdome on Wednesday, reporting no injuries and no damage to any public areas within the stadium. Arena officials characterized the situation as a “minor smoke incident” to FOX 8’s Andrés Fuentes.

WDSU’s Fletcher Mackel shared a statement from Caesars Superdome officials which said two security workers were being evaluated for smoke inhalation, but that the NOFD “deemed the building safe for occupancy” and that scheduled events will continue as planned. That includes the Saints’ regular season finale with the Carolina Panthers on Jan. 8.

This is the second time in as many years that a fire has broken out at the Caesars Superdome after equipment used to clean the structure’s roof caught aflame back in Sept. 2021, with one worker needing medical attention. We’re fortunate these incidents haven’t been worse.

Extensive renovations are ongoing to modernize the Caesars Superdome’s interior and improve the guest experience, including a new system of escalators to ease traffic flow and updated concessions options, plus upgraded restroom facilities, among other changes. That work is on track to be completed in 2024, ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl to be hosted in New Orleans.

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Caesars Superdome roof catches fire amid pressure washing

Caesars Superdome roof catches fire amid pressure washing:

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This is bad. The New Orleans Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at the Caesars Superdome on Tuesday after the stadium’s roof caught fire. Work crews were already on the roof with pressure washers, preparing it to be repainted before the next New Orleans Saints home game on Oct. 3. No cause was immediately available nor were any injuries reported. Hopefully everyone working on the roof remained safe.

Photos and video were shared widely on social media before the fire was quickly put out once emergency responders arrived:

Saints announce Caesar’s Superdome partnership, share new renderings

New Orleans Saints announce Caesar’s Superdome partnership, share new renderings of upgrades and renovations:

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There it is: after receiving state legislature approval last week, the New Orleans Saints have announced their new 20-year naming-rights contract with Caesar’s Entertainment to rename their home venue as the Caesar’s Superdome. The Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Amie Just reports the contract with the Nevada-based casino operator is valued at $138 million, which the team has pledged will be put towards improvements and renovations.

It’s a big change for the Superdome, which was previously named the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, dating back to 2011. But the German automaker’s sponsorship of Atlanta United FC’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which the soccer club also shares with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, created an awkward conflict. So now both the dirty birds and the black and gold have unique titling for their arenas.

And it couldn’t come at a better time. Caesar’s Superdome is in the middle of ongoing renovations to add field-level end zone seating and behind-the-scenes improvements, with New Orleans’ next Super Bowl on the horizon in 2025. That presents a great opportunity for the new sponsor and upgraded facilities to settle in before going under the spotlight.

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‘The Caesars Superdome’ naming-rights sponsorship approved

The New Orleans Saints will officially host NFL games at “The Caesars Superdome” for years to come:

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There it is: the New Orelans Saints’ home venue will now be named “The Caesars Superdome” for the next 20 years, replacing the “Mercedes-Benz Superdome” title it has held since 2011. Reports from Thursday’s meeting with the Louisiana state legislature’s Joint Budget Committee state that while the Saints will receive 100% of profits from the deal, the team has pledged to put them towards Superdome renovations and upgrades.

The Mercedes-Benz signage was removed last week when the German automaker’s deal expired, opening the door for a new naming-rights sponsor to step in. And as the Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reported earlier this year, Caesar’s Entertainment, Inc. was the frontrunner to take over.

That’s now official. This is the first stadium sponsorship agreement between an NFL team and a casino partner (when Hard Rock sponsored the Miami Dolphins’ stadium a few years back, it had to be specified that they were doing so in their capacity as hotel resorts, not gambling outfits), so it’s something of a landmark. That’s appropriate with New Orleans’ next Super Bowl scheduled to be hosted in 2025.

The process isn’t finished, though. Lawmakers had some reservations about the proposed renderings of what the Caesars Superdome will look like, with state senator Katrina Jackson correctly pointing out that the two-font look needs some work. Here’s hoping the Superdome graphics team can come up with something cleaner.

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Look: Mercedes-Benz signage removed from Superdome

Look: Mercedes-Benz signage removed from Superdome

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Mercedes-Benz’s sponsorship contract with the Superdome expired on July 15, and the venue’s management team worked promptly to remove the German automobile manufacturer’s signage from the façade. The Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Amie Just and WDSU-New Orleans shared photos from the scene, where work crews were using cranes to unfasten Mercedes-Benz’s lettering along Poydras Street.

The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reported earlier this summer that Caesar’s Entertainment was the frontrunner to replace Mercedes-Benz as the famed arena’s naming rights sponsor; WDSU confirmed that talks are ongoing, but a Saints spokesman told Just that there is no official deal in place while new partnerships are being explored.

Miami is the only city to host more Super Bowls (11) than New Orleans (10), but no stadium has seen more Super Bowls played on its field than the appropriately-titled Superdome (7). The next NFL title game will return to the Superdome in 2025, and there’s a good chance legendary Saints quarterback Drew Brees could be headlining the broadcast.

In the meantime, we’ll have to hurry up and wait to see which company partners with the Superdome to have its name and logo emblazoned on New Orleans’ skyline.

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New Orleans stands on top of Boston Globe’s NFL destinations rankings

New Orleans stands on top of Boston Globe’s NFL destinations rankings

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New Orleans Saints fans have known this for a long time, but it’s always satisfying to get some outside validation. According to veteran Boston Globe NFL writer Ben Volin, there isn’t a better place to catch a football game than New Orleans. Volin reflected on the 200-plus games covered in his career and ranked all 30 NFL cities based on the fan experience of traveling into town, seeing the sights, and grabbing a seat before kickoff.

And in those respects, New Orleans has the rest of the nation on the ropes. Volin wrote of his No. 1-ranked NFL destination:

“It is really hard to have a bad time in New Orleans. Incredible food, incredible culture and nightlife, and most everything is walkable, including the stadium. On game day, the atmosphere inside the Superdome is always loud and supercharged.”

I’ll be curious to see whether New Orleans (and, by extension, the Saints) continue to hold this strong reputation in the post-Drew Brees era. Sean Payton is still coaching a quality roster, but Brees did more than anyone to make the Saints competitive and elevate the black and gold on a national level. If the Saints collapse and become a doormat again, it might take more than world-class food and drinks to appeal to visiting fans.

With that said, New Orleanians will always be able to boast a more attractive home than Tampa (ranked at No. 17 by Volin), Charlotte (24), and Atlanta (27). Let’s see if the NFC South can catch up.

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Report: Caesars Entertainment closing in on naming-rights deal with Superdome

The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reports that Caesars Entertainment is closing in on an exclusive naming-rights deal with the Saints’ Superdome.

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The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reports that a new Superdome naming rights sponsorship is close to completion between the New Orleans Saints and Caesars Entertainment, Inc., which would be valued at $200 million over the next twenty years. Nothing has been signed yet, but the move would make the Superdome the first NFL venue to be sponsored by a sports gambling outfit. Caesars also owns Harrah’s New Orleans location, which in 2018 became the official casino partner of the Saints and Pelicans.

Mercedes-Benz inked a ten-year contract for the Superdome rights back in 2011 that was said to be worth $50 to $60 million at the time, but that agreement is set to expire in July after the German automobile manufacturer purchased a 27-year sponsorship of the new Atlanta Falcons stadium at $12 million per year. That agreement included prominent signage throughout the Superdome and the company’s logo emblazoned on the exterior roof.

It’s unclear how Caesars would be represented once pens are put to paper, but this would be a lucrative addition to the franchise. And with so many expensive ongoing renovations at work ahead of the 2021 season and New Orleans’ next Super Bowl scheduled for 2025 (when Drew Brees could be on the call with NBC’s broadcast of the championship game), adding more resources to get the Superdome ready for prime time is a good move.

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