Katie Blackburn Said Cincinnati Bengals 'Could Move Anywhere,' But Context is Important

Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn was asked about their stadium lease with Hamilton County earlier this week in West Palm Beach, Florida at the NFL Owner's Meetings.

The Bengals and the county have until June 30 to come to a long-term agreement. If they don't, the Bengals could pick up a two-year extension—an option that is in the contract or they could make plans to play elsewhere in 2026.

Blackburn gave a blunt answer when asked about negotiations.

“We could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year if we didn’t pick the option up,” Blackburn said according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “We’ll see. Like I said, all these things will be done in due course. We are having discussions, and so we’re hopeful that the county is thinking about it a lot, too, and wants to get it addressed in a way that would be beneficial to both of us.”

That has led to plenty of speculation about the Bengals' future.

Blackburn isn't wrong. The Bengals could go anywhere if they don't agree to a deal or pick up the two-year option before June 30. She also made it clear that the team is hoping to stay right where they are: in downtown Cincinnati.

Sometimes context is needed.

Blackburn was asked multiple questions about the stadium lease, which included the possibility of moving to a suburb of Cincinnati.

Instead of being downtown, they could go to Northern Kentucky, Warren or Butler County and get a deal done in another area.

That's what Blackburn's "go anywhere" line was referring to.

Of course, that could change. Maybe negotiations don't go anywhere and other cities try to get into the mix, but there's been zero indication that the Bengals plan on moving.

They clearly want to stay in downtown Cincinnati, right where they are. We'll see if a deal gets done, but their first choice is clearly staying put and renovating Paycor Stadium.

"We love where we are,” Blackburn told reporters.  “I'm (a) very big proponent of being in the downtown. I think that's a great thing for the city. I think (the) location (of the) stadium right now is good. Our stadium obviously needs to continue to be maintained appropriately, and you want to keep it at a certain level that's important, just so that we're competitive with others. But you know, at the end of the day, we're playing it one day at a time, and it's just we have to see where it all goes."