Tag: Nissan Stadium

Report: Titans, Mayor Cooper reach deal on new stadium

The Titans and the city of Nashville have reportedly struck a deal on a new stadium that will be announced later today.

The Tennessee Titans and Nashville mayor John Cooper have reportedly struck a deal on a new domed stadium after months of negotiations.

According to Axois Nashville’s Nate Rau, Mayor Cooper and the Titans will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. CT on Monday to make the announcement, which will also include the financing plans for the new venue.

Based on earlier reports, the new stadium will be located to the east of Nissan Stadium and will be the focal point of the East Bank redevelopment plan. Expectations are that the new stadium will cost around $2.2 billion.

As far as financing is concerned, the team is putting up about $800 million of its own money, while the state will put up $500 million in bonds on top of the addition of a one-percent tax on all hotel room rentals in Davidson County, as well as sales taxes collected from the new venue and surrounding 130-acre campus.

While all that appears to be hashed out, the mayor now has to get approval from the Metro Council which, according to Rau, isn’t a slam dunk.

The original plan for the Titans was to renovate Nissan Stadium, but after estimates were higher than originally expected, talks about a new stadium began.

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Report: $500M proposal for new Titans stadium calls for enclosed venue

The reported $500 million proposal would cover only a portion of what it would cost to build the Titans’ new stadium.

Governor Bill Lee will propose $500 million in bonds towards a new stadium for the Tennessee Titans, according to a report from Axios Nashville’s Nate Rau.

Per the report, the money would cover just a percentage of the funds needed to build the new venue, which could reach upwards of $2 billion.

The proposal is reportedly contingent on a few things: the team and the city must agree on a “broader financing package,” and the stadium must be an enclosed building.

An indoor stadium would allow for the city to host other major events on top of just Titans games, which could include the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the College Football Playoffs, and winter concerts.

The new stadium would be the centerpiece of a bigger development plan for the area. As of right now, the plan is for the stadium to stand to the east of Nissan Stadium and closer to the interstate.

The Titans and the city of Nashville originally planned to renovate Nissan Stadium, but after costs were estimated to be higher (about double) than previously thought, building a new stadium became the more feasible approach.

Earlier this month, Titans president Burke Nihill noted that the team is moving to build a new stadium “wisely but with a sense of urgency.”

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Titans moving for new stadium ‘with a sense of urgency’

Titans president Burke Nihill believes a new stadium can be opened by 2026.

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After the plan to renovate Nissan Stadium hit a snag when unforeseen issues arose that doubled the original estimate from $600 million to $1.2 billion, the Tennessee Titans and the city of Nashville shifted their focus to building a brand new stadium.

While speaking at a Metro Sports Authority board meetings on Thursday, Titans president Burke Nihill said the team is moving “wisely but with a sense of urgency” in their attempt to build a new stadium, with Nihill believing the new venue can open by 2026, per The Tennessean.

“We’re trying to move wisely but with a sense of urgency,” Nihill said. “There’s a path forward that, if we have alignment by the fall, we could have a new stadium open (by 2026). It’s aggressive, but we believe it’s in play.”

Nihill noted that striking a deal for a new stadium could take up to a year, and construction would take about two-and-a-half years after that.

The Titans president also went into detail about the downside of Tennessee’s current stadium, which opened in 1999 and was built for $292 million.

“This is a very basic building in the eyes of the NFL,” Nihill said of Nissan Stadium. “This is one of the bottom 20 percent of buildings in the NFL built before 9/11. Security enhancements adopted by the NFL haven’t been added.”

It isn’t exactly clear how much it’ll cost to build a brand new stadium. Recently-built NFL venues such as SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas cost $5.5 and $1.9 billion, respectively.

We tend to believe it’ll cost somewhere in the ballpark of $2 billion, but that’s just us guessing. If that comes to fruition, building a new venue at that price seems like the better option when considering how much the renovations would ultimately cost.

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Titans, Nashville exploring option of building a new stadium

The Titans and the city of Nashville are now exploring the option of building a new stadium.

Talks between the Tennessee Titans and the city of Nashville about renovations to Nissan Stadium have now expanded to the possibility of building a new stadium entirely, according to Axios’ Nate Rau.

A Titans spokesperson told Axios that renovation costs would be nearly double the $600 million they were reported to be by The Tennessean earlier this month, which has led to a re-evaluation of the situation.

“We need to take a step back and re-evaluate if a stadium renovation is the most responsible option forward and explore other paths,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson then went into a bit more detail about why costs to renovate will be so high.

“For example, the stadium’s structural frame was built with concrete and needs to be largely replaced with steel,” the spokesperson said. “The mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems need to be completely replaced. The window system throughout the building is so antiquated that it is not even manufactured anymore.”

In a statement to Axios, Mayor John Cooper confirmed the aforementioned issue with cost and the consideration of a new stadium, saying “revised cost estimates require us to closely review whether a new stadium would be a better long-term financial decision.”

In 2019, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk made it clear that she didn’t want a new stadium in an interview with Midday 180. It isn’t clear if she has changed her mind since then.

“I don’t want a new stadium,” she said. “But I do like the Hard Rock Stadium [where the Miami Dolphins play]. That’s a very interesting model and one that we need to keep looking further at to make improvements.”

This is certainly a situation that bears monitoring, as it looks like the Titans and Nashville are, at the very least, considering changing course to build a new stadium after months of talks about renovations.

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Titans will have fans at Week 4 game vs. Steelers

The plan is to gradually increase the capacity throughout the rest of the season.

The Tennessee Titans have announced the team will have a limited number of fans at its Week 4 home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 4, and if all goes well for the rest of the season.

The plan is to have 10 percent capacity consisting of season-ticket holders to start, which is roughly 7,000 fans. That number will gradually increase over the next two home games to follow, with 12.5 percent capacity planned for the October 11 game against the Buffalo Bills, and then 15 percent capacity for the October 18 contest versus the Houston Texans.

After that, the hope is that the Titans can work their way up to 21 percent capacity, or about 14,500 fans.

“We are thrilled to welcome fans back to Nissan Stadium and can’t thank Mayor Cooper and the Metro Nashville Public Health Department enough for their collaboration in making this possible,” Titans President Burke Nihill said. “The health and safety of our fans, players and staff remains our top priority and we felt like a gradual capacity plan was the right call, knowing that we may need to be flexible as time goes on. We feel confident that our Safe Stadium Plan will give everyone a safe and comfortable experience as they return to our gates.”

The Titans revealed all the precautions they are set to take upon allowing fans into Nissan Stadium for games on their official website.

• Socially-distant seating pods accommodating parties of one to a maximum of six people
• Mobile ticketing and parking, to eliminate physical contact while scanning passes
• Mandatory face coverings at all times, except when actively eating or drinking
• Over 300 hand sanitizing stations throughout the stadium
• Individually-wrapped food items at concession stands
• Elimination of all smoking and vaping areas in the facility
• Health screenings and personal protective equipment for all Nissan Stadium employees
• A comprehensive cleaning plan during events for bathrooms and near concession areas
Fans will be asked to arrive early and head straight to the gates after they arrive. After consulting with local and national health experts, there will be no tailgating or pre-game activities allowed outside of the stadium. The stadium will have dedicated security crews throughout Nissan Stadium to enforce all Safe Stadium policies.

Of course, the Titans will still play their home opener this Sunday with no fans in the stands, but this is definitely a step in the right direction to returning to normalcy in what has been an abnormal year to say the least.

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Report: Nashville to unveil plan to allow limited fans at Titans games

The Titans’ next home game is on October 4 against the Steelers.

The city of Nashville is set to unveil a plan to allow a limited number of Tennessee Titans fans to attend games at Nissan Stadium, although it isn’t yet clear exactly which game will be the first to have fans attend, or how many will be allowed.

According to Yihyun Jeong and Brett Kelman of the Tennessean, officials will announce their plan on Thursday morning during a press conference that is expected to include Mayor John Cooper and Titans President, Burke Nihill.

Back in August, it was announced that the Titans wouldn’t have fans at their home-opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 20, but the hope was for fans to be able to attend in some capacity down the road.

Tennessee’s next home game after this Sunday’s contest will come in Week 4 on October 4 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hopefully that will be the first game we see Titans fans in the stands.

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Gallery: DE Yannick Ngakoue In 2019

The top photos of new Vikings defensive end Yannick Ngakoue from the 2019 season.

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Titans fans can buy cardboard cutouts for home opener vs. Jaguars

There is also a campaign to get as many Matt Neely cutouts as possible.

Like many professional sports teams, the Tennessee Titans won’t have fans in the stands for their first home game of 2020, but they are offering their fans an opportunity to attend games in spirit.

The team announced on Wednesday that fans can purchase cardboard cutouts to be displayed in the end zone seats at the September 20 home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars for $50. Net proceeds from the sales will go to the Tennessee Titans Foundation.

Season-ticker holders will get the first crack at it, though. The deadline to submit is August 28 at 5 p.m. CT.

It also appears there might be another option for fans to get a cardboard cutout in the stadium for no charge, as Paul Kuharsky noted.

After this was announced, fans on social media started a campaign to get as many cardboard cutouts as possible of the late Matt Neely, who was a legend on Titans social media and a superfan of the team.

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Titans won’t have fans in attendance for home opener vs. Jaguars

The door is still open for the Titans to have fans attend games later in the season.

When the Tennessee Titans play their home opener on September 20 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is Week 2 of the 2020 regular season, fans will not be in attendance for the game.

The team, along with Nashville Mayor John Cooper, announced on Tuesday that the game will be played without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the door is still open for fans to attend games later in the season.

“I can assure you of this: this virus will not deter us from our mission to bring you an exciting, competitive season of Titans football,” President and CEO Burke Nihill said. “We hope our fans can cheer us on in Nissan Stadium soon, and in the meantime, look forward to feeling everyone’s support and energy from home as we kick off the season with Monday Night Football, Sept. 14.”

In the meantime the Titans will continue to work on the “Titans Safe Stadium Plan” with local health officials.

The plan includes “mandatory face coverings, structured ingress and egress planning, socially-distant seating, contactless faucets, hand sanitizer stations throughout the stadium, individually-wrapped food and many other health and safety precautions.”

The Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Nashville Metro Public Health Department, Michael C. Caldwell MD MPH, says the Titans “have the right road map” to eventually open Nissan Stadium up to fans for home games.

“Though the time to open its gates isn’t quite here yet, the good news is that the Titans have the right road map,” Caldwell said. “I’m confident that the plan we created together is a careful, well-rounded design that will provide a large degree of protection for fans attending games in the hopefully near future. I know the team has made the necessary preparations to implement significant safety measures when the time comes.”

The Week 2 contest against the Jags is the only home game the Titans have in the opening month. Their next home game will take place on Sunday, October 4, in a Week 4 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Of course, the Titans will open their regular season in Denver against the Broncos on September 14.

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Report: Titans looking for 25 percent capacity at home games

Conversations between the Titans and the city of Nashville are on-going.

While conversations with the city of Nashville are on-going, the Tennessee Titans are reportedly hoping to get approved for 25 percent capacity at home games this season.

According to Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, this was the initial request the team made. If approved, the Titans would have over 17,000 fans at Nissan Stadium when they play their home opener on September 20 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Indications are the Titans’ initial request was for 25 percent capacity. The building accommodates 69,143 for football, so that would be 17,286.

At this point, it would be a major victory to get any fans in the stadium, as there’s a chance the Titans play their home games without anyone in attendance.

If the latter happens and no fans are allowed in the stadium for any of the team’s eight home games, Forbes’ Mike Ozanian estimates that the Titans could lose about $110 million in revenue this season.

The potential loss of revenue from no fans attending games league-wide has created an uncertain financial future for the NFL. The salary cap is expected to decrease in 2021 by as much as $23 million (from $198.2 million in 2020 to $175 million in 2021), although that cap number has the potential to be higher depending on exactly how much revenue is lost.

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