The Cleveland Browns are set to build a new home, but the Cavaliers and Guardians want a slice of the stadium pie.
It’s expected the NFL franchise will leave downtown for the suburbs of Brook Park ahead of the 2029 season, and they have broken ground on a new $2.4 billion facility that will put Dawg Pound culture front and center.
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The Browns are set to build a domed stadium in Brook Park, OhioCredit: X/@CLEVELANDBROWNS
The Browns have secured a helping hand to finance their stadium, with Ohio lawmakers approving $600 million of unclaimed funds to go towards the project.
That state money, which comes from a pot of dormant money from residents’ old paychecks, security deposits, insurance payouts and other sources, will cover around a quarter of the construction cost.
Another $400m of that money will go into a special sports and culture fund, which could pay for other facilities, under the a newly-created Ohio Sports Facility Performance Grant.
Building a new stadium for the Browns has been a priority for local politicians, with Ohio governor Mike DeWine saying last year that the budget was a victory for Cleveland.
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“This is a win for taxpayers, and it will provide significant money to things that improve the quality of life in Ohio,” he said of the stadium money.
By contributing to costs, the state of Ohio has been able to keep the team happy. Illinois, meanwhile, risks losing the Chicago Bears across state lines in a three-way battle for the future of the franchise, a decision that has caused widespread outrage among the Bears faithful and led to WWE star CM Punk calling for the owners to sell the team.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs have already been temped out of Missouri for their new stadium.
Football, though, isn’t the only sport played in Cleveland.
Cavaliers and Guardians coming for state funds in fresh stadium twist
Both Cleveland’s NBA and MLB teams recently applied for a combined $105m in assistance from the Ohio Sports Facility Performance Grant.
The state program that allows franchises to request up to 25 percent of a project’s estimated construction or renovation cost, capped at $250m.
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The Guardians and Cavs play on the same site and need money for renovationsCredit: Getty
Per Cleveland.com, the Cavs requested $40m in funding toward a total of $161m in renovation projects, some of which they hope will support upgrades to Rocket Arena that will accommodate a ‘future WNBA franchise.’
The Guardians, meanwhile, have requested $65m toward a total $259m in projects for their Progressive Field ballpark.
Gateway Economic Development Corp, which manages the complex on which both facilities sit, cannot currently pay for those upgrades.
A recent assessment called for at least $150m in capital repairs at Rocket Arena and Progressive Field over the next several years, which Gateway is on the hook for.
An additional, combined $261m in repair and replacement needs is also projected over the remainder of the leases, which run through 2034 for the Cavs and 2036 for the Guardians.
The Ohio Sports Facility Performance Grant would go some way to paying for the required renovations, but there is a major hurdle for all of Cleveland’s teams.
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Money set aside for the Browns is currently tied up in a court battleCredit: Getty
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The injunction is not yet expected to impact Brook Park constructionCredit: Cleveland Browns
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Cleveland stadium money tied up in court battle
As it stands, the $600m Browns stadium funding, and $400m grant money, is currently blocked by a court injunction.
The injunction stems from a lawsuit that challenged the legality of using the unclaimed money pot to fund sports and cultural projects.
A temporary order was issued before Christmas, and that block has since been extended into 2026.
The Browns are no doubt relying on that money, but the injunction will not yet have an impact on stadium construction, as there are still other necessary steps in the teams’ talks with Brook Park that need to be completed before the money can be distributed.
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Despite the battle, the franchise say they remain on track to open in 2029. But construction could well be delayed if the freeze is extended for months, or even years, to allow the court process to play out.
While the Browns might not be sweating yet, the Cavs and Guardians could be, as it remains unclear whether the $400m grant will ever be distributed at all.
Akron writer George Thomas has recently suggested Cuyahoga County sin tax revenue that goes to renovations ‘is running dry.’
A shiny new NFL stadium in the suburbs appears to be the priority in Cleveland, and that means the downtown ballpark and basketball arena might well continue to suffer.
New chapter – and head coach – for Browns
On the field, a new chapter awaits for the Browns, after they appointed Todd Monken as their new head coach.
The former Baltimore Ravens OC replaces Kevin Stefanski, who was dismissed after he led the Browns to a 5-12 record in 2025.
Stefanski largely botched the Browns’ quarterback situation last season, which began with Joe Flacco as the team’s starter and ended with rookie Shedeur Sanders under center after a brief Dillon Gabriel spell.
Sanders is expected to vie for the Browns’ QB1 spot in 2026, but will have stiff competition from a returning $230m star.
Monken, meanwhile, is excited about what’s to come for Cleveland.
“Winning is hard, but the reward is unbelievable,” he said at his introductory press conference.
“That’s what was fun about the thoughts of being the head coach here. If you like a challenge, let’s go. Let’s get this to where we’re the standard.
“The time is now.
“It’s hard. It’s perseverance, mental toughness, surrounding yourself with the right people.
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“Not everybody wants to run into that smoke. Not everybody wants to look at it like it’s fourth and one every day — and it is. It’s fourth and one every day.”
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