The Green Bay Packers are negotiating with the city of Green Bay, Wis., over the lease and renovation of Lambeau Field. The team’s current lease agreement expires in 2032.
The team has been writing lease proposals to the city since 2020, however, mayor Eric Genrich has yet to respond to any of those proposals or produce a counteroffer on behalf of the city. Genrich recently informed the franchise that he would be ceasing negotiations for the time being.
According to Packers News, Genrich cited, “the need for the city to receive increased rent payments, even though the city would not be making any future investments in the stadium,” as his reason for ceasing negotiations.
Now, the Packers have written an appeal to the Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District, seeking help in continuing their lease negotiations. "The District's involvement is crucial to this process. The wisdom behind its creation has been on full display with these actions of the mayor,” explained Aaron Popkey, director of public affairs for the Packers.
In the letter to the District, the Packers presented the organization with a long-term lease proposal that would allow them to assume all annual maintenance costs from the District’s maintenance fund. Together, the Packers hope, that the team and the District can present this plan to the city.
The Packers currently have a rare stadium funding program compared to the rest of the NFL. They do not use public money for stadium renovations, maintenance or upgrades. Despite lacking this public funding, the franchise has still invested $600 million into stadium upgrades since 2003. And, they pay the city of Green Bay, Wis., more than $1 million each year in rent and fees.
In earlier discussions, Genrich expressed his desire to dismantle the Stadium District organization, begin using tax payer money to pay for certain items related to Lambeau Field and increase the rent the franchise pays.
