SBJ Football: Cowboys prize certainty in lease extension
The Cowboys extended their lease agreement for AT&T Stadium more than 14 years early, seeking certainty over leverage. AP 
The Texans drafted C.J. Stroud second overall in 2023, one of the many first-rounders that Athletes First has represented in recent years. Stroud-beauty 
Many thousands of people came to the NFL Draft in Green Bay, but probably not as many as most public estimates claim. Getty Images Pittsburgh is looking to reintroduce itself to the nation during the NFL Draft, recasting its Rust Belt image as a hub for AI, robotics and tech development while also showcasing its history in football. In this week’s SBJ Marketing, my colleague Terry Lefton analyzes how the NFL transformed one sponsorship asset that Visa once held into three spread among American Express, U.S. Bank and PayPal. Fanatics is the NFL’s new, official on-site retail sponsor at the league’s roster of marquee global events, including Thursday’s draft, the Super Bowl and international games, writes SBJ’s Bret McCormick. At last week’s CAA World Congress of Sports, NFL CRO and EVP Renie Anderson discussed the league’s ambitions for flag football, reports SBJ’s Rachel Axon, especially with its upcoming Olympic spotlight: “We don’t want to be a one and done. This isn’t the breakdancing of the Olympics.”On this week’s SBJ Sports Media Podcast, co-hosts Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter dive into the NFL Draft and discuss Mike Tomlin’s new job on NBC’s “Football Night in America.”Chiefs EVP/Communications David Higdon said he is leaving the franchise at the end of the month. In his time with the Chiefs, Higdon led executive communications, government affairs and community engagement resulting in a $4 billion agreement for a public-private stadium in Kansas.