Bengals reportedly trying to sell naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium after Steelers' decision

The Pittsburgh Steelers generated an interesting combination of revenue and controversy when they changed the name of their home stadium from Heinz Field to Acrisure Stadium this summer. Acrisure, an insurance brokerage firm out of Michigan, is reportedly spending over $10 million a year for the stadium's naming rights. To compare, the Pittsburgh-based Heinz ketchup company previously paid an average of $2.85 million per year to have its name attached to the Steelers' home. 

It appears a division rival may soon follow in the Steelers' footsteps. 

Per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Cincinnati Bengals have informed city and county officials that they intend to sell the naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium as soon as possible. The Bengals, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears are currently the only NFL teams without naming rights agreements for their stadiums, but the Cincinnati Enquirer story claims the Bengals are hoping to change that before the upcoming regular season begins in September. 

Any revenue earned from an agreement regarding the venue's name could potentially go toward paying for the reported $500 million in renovations that Paul Brown Stadium requires. 

Whatever the Bengals intend to do, recent history shows they'd better be prepared for some backlash among passionate fans who will insist they'll never abandon the Paul Brown Stadium name.