The Cleveland Browns and FirstEnergy Corp. announced earlier this week they have mutually agreed to end their stadium naming rights deal, returning the venue to its former name, Cleveland Browns Stadium.
“Since we signed this agreement 10 years ago, our priorities have shifted as the company evolved from a competitive energy supplier to a regulated utility, and as a result, our corporate initiatives must also evolve,” FirstEnergy interim president and CEO John Somerhalder said in a statement. “Like the rest of northern Ohio, we remain passionate Browns fans and will cheer them on in upcoming seasons.”
Located on the site of the former Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland Browns Stadium opened when the franchise was resurrected in 1999. The Lerner family declined to sell the naming rights to the stadium during their tenure, and instead sold the naming rights to the venue’s four main entrances.
Shortly after current owner Jimmy Haslam purchased the Browns in 2012, FirstEnergy paid $107 million for the stadium naming rights. The deal, signed in 2013, was for $107 million and ran through the 2028 season, which is when the franchise’s lease with the city is set to expire.
“We’ve had a great association with FirstEnergy for more than two decades, and we appreciate this partnership and what it has created for our team and the broader northeast Ohio community,” Haslam Sports Group COO Dave Jenkins said. “We reached this amicable agreement that is consistent with the productive relationship we have always enjoyed, and we wish FirstEnergy success with their future initiatives.”
While the franchise plan to sell the naming rights to Cleveland Browns Stadium in the future, they are currently one of three NFL teams without a corporate sponsor for their stadium joining the Chicago Bears (Soldier Field) and Green Bay Packers (Lambeau Field).
Interestingly, FirstEnergy’s longtime rival, Cleveland Public Power, has supplied energy to the 67,000-seat Cleveland Browns Stadium since it opened, though it’s worth noting FirstEnergy powers Progressive Field, home of MLB’s Cleveland Guardians.
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