Bengals' odds of receiving funding from Ohio for Paycor Stadium renovations has increased
One of the more recent points in their negotiations has been the hopeful inclusion of funding from the state of Ohio after they initially proposed funding $600 million for the Cleveland Browns' brand-new stadium via bonds that would be paid back. That has since been called into question as it adds a ton of debt onto the state and the estimates for the Browns and Brook Park estimates were 'overly optimistic.'
One thing that is for certain is there will be an added way of Ohio getting more tax money from legal gambling. It is just a matter of what it looks like.
Dan Monk from WCPO recently wrote this on a promising new proposal, one that could actually mean that the Bengals are in better position to potentially get funding over the Browns:
[Bill] Blessing introduced Senate Bill 199 on May 14 to propose a 2% fee on Ohio's sports betting handle, which is the total dollar value of all bets accepted by state-licensed sportsbooks. Ohio's handle was $8.9 billion last year, which means the fee could raise about $180 million per year, if approved.
Blessing's proposal came one day after Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, proposed the legalization of iGaming in Ohio in Senate Bill 197. It would allow online betting for casino games, including slot machines, poker and Blackjack, along with state lottery games and horse racing. Supporters claim it will raise up to $800 million in new taxes annually, money that could fund a reduction in state income tax or stadium projects.
'Just in talking with other members, there's a lot of skepticism over [Cleveland's financing plan],' Blessing said. 'They don't like the fact that it's bankrolled by state general revenue funds. I think that's probably one of the reasons why there's a mad dash to do iGaming as a potential alternative.'
This could give us a better reason why the Bengals were so taken aback by Hamilton County hiring someone included in the Browns Stadium funding process. If they knew that support was waning for the Browns funding then hiring someone included in a possibly competitive process for funding could be problematic.
In fact, the lawyer Hamilton County fired, Tom Gableman, actually had a hand in developing this proposal with Blessings.
Essentially, the proposal deals out up to $200 million a year created by this two percent 'privilege fee' on each gambling transaction. The way that $200 is divided up would depend on several factors that favored the Bengals and Hamilton County after an agreement would be set up for a 10 to 20-year lease agreement.
'The way we structured it, there were ten factors to allocate funding,' Gabelman told Monk. 'The age of the stadium, capacity of the stadium, the public use of it, how many years are left in the term, or the new term. The amount of capital repairs put in by the local entity, by the team, and so on. Under those metrics, Paycor gets funded first.'
This is still a proposal and is far from being set in stone, but it is a far easier pill for taxpayers to swallow than outright paying for the Browns to make a stadium from scratch outside of Cleveland and footing the entire bill upfront. This would still allow funding to go to the Browns, but it'd be much more of a supplemental payment than the original proposal. That ultimately fits the needs of the Bengals and Hamilton County much better.
This all still depends on the two sides coming to an agreement before their deadline, which is less than a month away. Hamilton County's changing negotiators certainly put that process in more doubt than it appears they needed to.
Hopefully, it still gets done, and the Bengals stay by the river for generations to come.
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Three reasonable moves the Bengals could make to address developing weaknesses
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He endured multiple rough moments during his two drives in the preseason game and has been the clear weak link on the starting line throughout camp. He has a history of injuries, battled another early in camp, and is the oldest player on the Bengals' roster. On top of questioning his top level of play, it's fair to wonder about durability throughout a full season. He didn't allow a QB hit or sack on a true pass set last year in New Orleans, but nothing to this point suggests he'll replicate the feat in Cincinnati. Cody Ford was supposed to be in a competition with Patrick, but he has already moved out to swing tackle since that position is in shambles behind the starters. Ford would be first off the bench at every spot except center at this point. His versatility and play style persuaded coaches to ensure he returned this season, and it looks like it will be utilized as his primary asset once again. Even with Ford, that stretches the line thin in a hurry. 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New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Browns stock report: Who rose, who fell during joint practices with Eagles?
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Starting cornerback Greg Newsome II has been a limited participant, and that's moved young players like Cameron Mitchell and Myles Harden up to basically full-time duty with the starters. Players like second-year safety Chris Edmonds, second-year linebacker Winston Reid and undrafted rookie cornerback Dom Jones are in the mix for roster spots and just outside the mix for actual playing time. All have chances over the next eight or so days to keep the team from prioritizing potential outside options. The Browns fixing their run game was an obvious offseason priority. But second-round rookie Quinshon Judkins remains unsigned and has been away from the team in the wake of a July 12 domestic violence arrest. There had been no update on the case in weeks before Thursday afternoon, when prosecutors announced that no formal charges would be filed against Judkins. In Judkins' absence, the clear lead runners have been Jerome Ford and fourth-round rookie Dylan Sampson. 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With both teams going through a special teams drill, Garrett stood down near one of the end zones without his helmet. He was approached by NFL Network's Brian Baldinger, and the two were having a conversation while Garrett used a goal post pad to help stretch himself out. Advertisement But as the conversation and the stretching went on, the drill ended. Several people on the Browns' sideline called out for Garrett, but he was still chatting with Baldinger. As the Browns' No. 1 defense took the field, McGuire was inserted at Garrett's usual right defensive end spot. Finally, someone got Garrett's attention. Garrett grabbed his helmet and jogged almost 50 yards toward where the next drill was being set up. Garrett waved McGuire off the field as Hurts kept the Eagles from fully lining up until Garrett was ready. Not long after Garrett got in his stance, he flinched and got Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata to jump. A false start was called, and everyone got to reset before the drill began. In just a few seconds, Garrett went from unaware the play was starting to drawing a penalty because of his impact on the field. It wasn't quite as impressive as jumping over the line to block a field goal, as he pulled off last time the Browns were here, but it was a reminder of the way Garrett can disrupt things. (Photo of Jerry Jeudy: Jason Miller / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Why Johnny Manziel believes Shedeur Sanders has what it takes for NFL success
If there's one person who can understand what Shedeur Sanders is going through in his first NFL training camp with the Browns, it's the 2014 Browns first-round pick, Johnny Manziel. Manziel has liked what he has seen from Sanders through training camp and the preseason thus far, saying during an interview with USA Today on Thursday that Sanders is 'well prepared for the moment.' 'Well prepared for everything that comes with being in the NFL and playing the quarterback position,' Manziel said. Shedeur Sanders throws a pass during the Browns preseason win over the Panthers on Aug. 8, 2025. Getty Images Sanders faced plenty of scrutiny leading up to the NFL draft this spring, and concerns about how he handled the pre-draft process are believed to have led to a dramatic drop in his draft stock. He was eventually taken in the fifth round by Cleveland. Manziel, who said he has known the Sanders family and Shedeur's Pro Football Hall of Fame dad, Deion, for a long time, described the quarterback as 'unique' and someone who 'beats to his own drum.' 'He is going to be different than a lot of guys that you're going to see around the league,' Manziel said. 'I think he's done the right thing every step of the way. At the same time, you want to continue to be yourself. You don't want to change what's made you great and something that's ingrained in your DNA.' Sanders had a strong outing in his first preseason game against the Panthers last weekend. He threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns while completing 14 of 23 passes in the preseason debut. Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel during a road game against the Seahawks in 2015. Getty Images But he suffered a bit of a bump in the road this week after he suffered an oblique strain during a joint practice with the Eagles and is day-to-day. Sanders is unlikely to play in this weekend's preseason game against the Eagles, and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that the team wanted to be 'smart' about his recovery. 'So, unfortunately, going to put him down for a little bit here. We'll treat it day-to-day and see how it responds. But, want to be smart because he's a thrower — you can't push that thing,' he said in a press conference on Thursday.
