They want a stadium project, but a denial here (rather than a non-answer) signals that the best option they think is available to them is renovation. Whether that was true yesterday or not, it’s true today. With the scale of renovation they’re asking for, it would functionally be a new stadium anyway, with a new lease to accompany it.
By coming out saying “We want a new stadium and that is the only option” would get them nowhere.
If they were really all-in on a new stadium, they’d be better off saying that from the get-go in order to frame the discussion. If they go to the county asking for $2B for renovations and then do an about-face and say “actually, we’re all-in on a stadium” they’ve made their side of the negotiation substantially less palatable. If I want my boss to give me a $20,000 raise, I don’t start that by going into her office and asking for $5k, and I don’t outright deny that what I actually want is a $20k raise when pressed on it.
I didn’t say that they are all in on a new stadium. Just that they are really considering it.
There have been renderings out for a while on the Houstonarchitecture website of what they can do with the existing building, if you read the last articles the writer is adding in the desire for a new stadium while quoting the Texans on wanting remodeling. If the quotes from the Texans are, we want X,Y, & Z which we can’t get in a remodeled NRG then I would start to think they really want a new stadium. For some reason they keep trying to paint the Texans with the Adams Family brush.
Like I said before, just take a close look at just the facade of NRG. It needs a lot of clean up and paint and has structural roof issues. It’s gone too long without upkeep. At least the Astrodome HSA kept it clean.
The Astrodome had it’s major renovation where they removed the scoreboard and added seats to appease the Oilers in 1988-89 which is 23 years after the stadium opened. NRG opened in 2002, 23 years ago this year.
Fun fact the Oilers had no part of the construction of the Astrodome and did not play in the Dome until the 1968 season, so the Oilers are noted as being the first professional football team to play in a dome stadium because we were the first football team to do it. I have a wall of my collection dedicated to our time in the Astrodome.
Tear down the Astrodome.
3 Likes
OMG, the Tennessee Texans.
Build a new stadium for a team that hasn’t won jack squat in its entire existence 
….and they’ll either get a heavily refurbished NRG or new stadium with the usual relocation extortion
I read in the chron that if renovations are close in cost to a new one, they will go new.
I’d respect the Texans more if they paid their fair share of costs this time.
If the Texans learned anything from the Oilers, they need to have a public relations campaign on the stadium. All Bud Adams did was criticize and threaten the City of Houston and Harris County and its leaders. I think the public relations campaign has begun.
What Bud Adams did was demand a major remodel paid for by the county and then 7 years later demanded a new stadium. I am not sure that would work with any city.
Of course if it cost as much to renovate as a new stadium they should build a new one… but I don’t see the County approving a $2-2.5 billion renovation either, which is what stadiums cost these days, unless the Texans plan on eating a major portion of the costs.
The problem is that the county doesn’t have that money.
Titans just went through this. Convinced everyone that renovation cost of their barely 25 year old stadium was very close to new construction and ultimately split cost for new stadium between titans ownership and over a billion in public funding. I 100% believe a new stadium is on the table in the Texans mind and they will want north of a billion in public funding for it. Will it happen? Who knows. Never forget that the NFL is a copycat league and not just on the field. NFL stadiums are almost always built new and not majorly renovated. Super Dome was different but that stadium is part of New Orleans culture and identity. Obviously NRG isn’t the same to Houstonians. Once the local politicians and ownership has some time to collectively ‘find the money’ I’d say it’s more likely than not Texans are playing in a new stadium within a decade.
1 Like
The new team president is apparently experienced in new stadiums.
Rangers did the same thing to get their immitation MMP in Arlington. They talked about putting a roof on the stadium then said it would be cheaper to build a new stadium.
Bud had the bud dome concept where Astros, hockey and oilers would’ve played in downtown he was ahead of his time as the Astros followed suit
1 Like
You are right about Bud Dome. Mayor said no way.
It would be really cool if the Texans played downtown Although, it probably won’t happen. A brand new stadium, maybe at Sam Houston park?