Browns consider move from lakefront

Team said to be close to buying 176 acres south of Cleveland

CLEVELAND Other than a few years after they moved to Baltimore, the Cleveland Browns have always played their games on the shores of Lake Erie.

That could change in the future.

The team is reportedly nearing a deal to buy 176 acres in a suburb south of Cleveland, a site that could be used to build a stadium — maybe a domed one — if the Browns are unable to work out an agreement with the city after their lease expires in 2028.

The Browns have been in talks about renovating their lakefront stadium, which opened in 1999 after the NFL awarded Cleveland an expansion franchise.

That 60,000-plus-seat stadium needs major renovations and owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have expressed interest in developing the area around the current structure.

The team has made no firm plans about moving from its downtown home, but the Browns, who have played on essentially the same plot of land since their founding in 1946, have been exploring other options.

On Thursday, the team released a statement after a report by sports blog NEOtrans said the Browns are nearing a deal to buy property near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, just miles from the team's headquarters in Berea, Ohio.

“We've been clear on how complex future stadium planning can be,” Browns/Haslam Sports Group spokesperson Peter John-Baptiste said Thursday in a statement. “One certainty is our commitment to greatly improving our fan experience while also creating a transformative and lasting impact to benefit all of northeast Ohio. We understand the magnitude of opportunity with a stadium project intent on driving more largescale events to our region and are methodically looking at every possibility.”

Any possible move is a touchy subject with Cleveland fans. It was former owner Art Modell's squabble with the city over funding for a new stadium that led to him taking the franchise to Baltimore after the 1995 season.

The Haslams, who also own the MLS Columbus Crew and have minority ownership of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, have long said they are committed to keeping their football franchise in northeast Ohio.

There is a vocal segment of Browns fans who have been pushing for a domed stadium, arguing it could help the city attract major events such as a Super Bowl, Final Fours and major concerts.