New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson has signed a new lease that will keep the Caesars Superdome as the team’s home field through the 2035 season.
Benson signed the lease with the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District on Thursday after lengthy negotiations.
“Discussions about this agreement have spanned two (state) administrations, a global pandemic and Hurricane Ida,” Benson said. “I am totally happy that we will be sending a signed copy of this agreement to the NFL for their approval.
“We have entered into numerous negotiations with the state, for as far back as I can recall. And each time, a better partnership has been formed with a clearer vision for mutual success for both the state and the team. But more importantly, for our fans. And I am convinced that today, this is the case.”
The Saints have played in the Superdome since 1975. The building has hosted eight of the 11 Super Bowl games played in New Orleans, and Benson said she intends to apply to host another one once the NFL signs off on the lease.
Terms of the agreement were not released, but the team said the contract calls for continued capital improvements for the aging stadium.
Benson, a New Orleans native, has no plans to move the team she inherited upon the death of her husband, Tom Benson. According to NOLA.com, her estate plan calls for the team to be sold after her death because she has no heirs. She is 78.
Her estate calls for new owners to keep the team in New Orleans, but that cannot be guaranteed beyond the length of the lease.
“To me, this Superdome and the Saints are not two different things; they are actually one,” Gov. Jeff Landry said. “And in my opinion, that’s why the Saints can never leave the city of New Orleans.
“It never crossed my mind that we were not going to reach a deal. We wanted to make sure that the taxpayer was protected, that the citizens got a good deal and at the same time, we wanted to make sure that the Saints were made whole and that we gave them the incentive to stay here.”
