Broncos unlikely to leave Colorado for stadium (or training camp)

It’s not uncommon for NFL teams to threaten moving cities (or states) when it’s time to build a new stadium.

NFL owners often use the leverage of staying in town to get the funding they seek from local taxpayers. The Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders are recent examples of moving out of state. The Kansas City Chiefs are a recent example of threatening to relocate if they don’t receive funding to upgrade their stadium.

Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos might be inching toward building a new stadium. It remains to be seen if the Broncos would ask taxpayers to help fund such a stadium (if they do build one). Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who’s married to Ann Walton, cousin of Broncos co-owner Rob Walton, privately funded SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (but he did make fans purchase PSLs).

We’re still early in the process, but there have been no public threats of relocation from Denver’s NFL franchise (and Gov. Jared Polis is “committed” to keeping the team in Colorado). The Broncos are also spending about $175 million on renovations for their facility, a sign that they don’t have plans to move away.

Denver coach Sean Payton used to organize out-of-state training camps with the New Orleans Saints, and the Rams practiced in Hawaii this spring. But the Broncos will continue to hold training camps in Englewood.

“We’re going to try to get this building over here built. If you want to ask Greg [Penner] that question you can, but I think we have it here,” Payton said in May when asked about potentially practicing somewhere other than Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit.

“We have it here,” Payton continued. “I like our set up and our routine. I like the fields, the facilities and the meeting space. In one year — give or take — in May, we’ll be moving over there. So I don’t want to move to a … How much does it cost? $175 million facility and then ask to go to Maui to practice.”

There have been no signs that the Broncos plan to build a stadium outside of Colorado, and it sounds like they’re not even considering moving training camp. Good news for fans in the Denver market.

This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Broncos unlikely to leave Colorado for stadium or training camp

Broncos unlikely to leave Colorado for stadium (or training camp)

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