A few weeks ago, a Titans spokesman confirmed that the team was exploring building a new stadium in Nashville.
The team was initially planning to renovate Nissan Stadium, which has been the Titans’ home since 1999. But the costs of renovations had doubled from the initial estimate of $600 million, making a new stadium more cost effective.
Now the Titans appear to be all-in on constructing a new place to play adjacent to the team’s current home.
Per the Tennessean, team president Burke Nihill said at a recent Metro Sports Authority board meeting that the team is working with city officials on the design and cost of putting a new building on the current stadium’s parking lots. The idea is for it to open in time for the 2026 season.
“We’re trying to move wisely but with a sense of urgency,” Nihill said, via the Associated Press. “There’s a path forward that, if we have alignment by the fall, we could have a new stadium open [by 2026]. It’s aggressive, but we believe it’s in play.”
Nihill noted the planning process to design the stadium and figure out how to pay for it could take more than a year with construction taking around 31 months.
He added that Nissan Stadium is “a very basic building in the eyes of the NFL.”
“This is one of the bottom 20 percent of buildings in the NFL built before 9/11,” Nihill said. “Security enhancements adopted by the NFL haven’t been added.”
If the Titans do get a new stadium with a roof, it could put Nashville in the conversation to host a future Super Bowl.