CINCINNATI — If you've been on social media in the past 24 hours, you might have noticed some quotes floating around claiming the Cincinnati Bengals might not be in the Queen City in the coming future.
Multiple outlets have reported that Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn commented that the team could go "wherever we wanted" if they choose not to extend their lease this June, but that's not where her comments ended.
We're breaking down what Blackburn said with information from reporters who spoke to her, and the county officials currently negotiating with the Bengals.
Did Katie Blackburn say the Bengals could go "wherever we wanted?"
Yes. Multiple reporters who sat with Blackburn Tuesday during the NFL's annual league meetings in Palm Beach confirmed she mentioned the team's ability to leave Paycor Stadium if they choose not to extend their lease.
"We could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year if we didn’t pick the option up," The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. quoted Blackburn as saying. "We'll see. Like I said, all these things will be done in due course. We are having discussions, and so we’re hopeful that the county is thinking about it a lot, too, and wants to get it addressed in a way that would be beneficial to both of us."
When asked about the possibility of moving, Blackburn stated that those conversations were not "where we are focused at the moment," Dehner wrote.
Is there a chance the Bengals actually leave town?
Sure, there is a chance. As we've reported many times, the county’s lease with the Bengals is set to expire on June 30, 2026, but the team could opt for five consecutive two-year extensions, the first of which they would need to decide on before or on June 30 of this year.
But while Blackburn is quoted by multiple outlets as saying the Bengals could "go wherever we wanted" if they decide not to extend their lease this June, she also made clear that the team likes their current location.
"We love where we are," Blackburn said in that same interview, per The Athletic. "I’m a big proponent of being downtown. I think that’s a great thing for the city. I think the location of the stadium right now is good."
We also spoke with ESPN's Ben Baby, who was there and said he felt the sharing of only Blackburn's first quote "mischaracterized" her comments.
"The way that I felt it when speaking to Katie with other reporters, it didn't come across as a threat, it came across as one of the options available to them," Baby said. "But most importantly, the biggest thing in that 30-minute sit-down we had with the Bengals executive vice president is they wanted to work through things currently with Hamilton County."
Baby likened Blackburn's comments on their stadium negotiations with the county to that of a team's negotiations with a star player — "both sides trying to get this thing hashed out in order to get a win-win for both parties."
WATCH: Ben Baby discusses Blackburn's comments with us
What is the state of negotiations between the Bengals and Hamilton County?
Blackburn's comments Tuesday reveal more about the Bengals' opinion on ongoing stadium negotiations. She is quoted as saying things are moving "very slow," and noted they have "a lot of work to do" to get everyone on the same page about an extension and renovations.
In a meeting Thursday, Hamilton County officials pushed back on any commentary that things are moving slowly.
"I think the board is aware, no one is slow-walking this process," County Administrator Jeff Aluotto said. "We're moving expeditiously, we're moving purposefully on this."
Aluotto told county commissioners they've had direct conversations about some of the "major terms of the lease" and will have a fuller report on the situation in the coming days. He also noted the county hopes to get state funding on this project, like the Browns are hoping to receive for their new stadium.
"We've had direct conversations with the state, with the governor's office on trying to ensure we get state funding here to offset some of the local property taxpayer burden on the stadium," Aluotto said.
The Ohio House's current budget proposal includes an amendment that would change state law to allow lawmakers to make unprecedented financing commitments to certain pro sports projects. However, we previously spoke with legislators who noted Hamilton County and the Bengals are left out of that proposal.
In a draft of the substitute bill, we noticed that the language would only allow the state to fund projects in counties with at least 1 million people. Hamilton County has about 830,000.
House Finance Chair Brian Stewart told us earlier this week they've "not received an ask about any other proposal," so the Bengals were excluded on purpose. Aluotto said the county is working to get something for Hamilton County.
"We are aware of the amendment the Haslams have submitted ... we want to make sure that we are in some ways leading those proposals and at the same time making sure that we are a part of any other proposal that is made to make sure that the folks here in Hamilton County benefit just the same as they would up in Northeast Ohio," said Aluotto.
