NFL insider explains how worried Browns fans should be about new stadium drama

Anytime a professional sports team has any type of stadium drama, it's understandable why the fan base might feel a sense of panic. Cleveland Browns fans know the feeling of relocation drama all too well, considering the team was previously moved following the 1995 season.

For those who might not be aware of the stadium drama, Axios summed it up, noting "Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam are deciding between building a dome in Brook Park, which would cost more than $2 billion, versus a $1.2 billion renovation to Cleveland Browns Stadium, which was built in 1999."

In that same Axios article, a season ticket member is quoted saying that the Browns stadium should remain downtown. It's also mentioned that the lease expires in 2028.

The good news is that it doesn't appear as though the stadium talk is anything to worry about, or at least that's what Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote for his MMQB column this week. In Breer's mailbag, someone named Alec noted "Just heard a Cleveland city council president on with Ken Carman talking new stadium, and I’m worried this is gonna get ugly. Any insight?"

Breer calmed Alec and the rest of Browns fans down with his answer.

"Alec, my feelings on it are that these things always get territorial, because they’re decisions that last for decades and can’t be undone. I also think this one, in particular, might have a little more to do with what’s going around the stadium, as the stadium itself.

Obviously, the stadium has been a tentpole facility for downtown Cleveland and the county since it opened in 1999. It brings people downtown, where they eat, drink, stay in hotels and now can gamble. It also allows for the idea of more growth, where a renovation leading to more events would support developing land around it. On the flip side, the Browns would have the chance to develop land around a new stadium themselves, and further profit from what’s obviously already a very profitable business.

I’m not sure where this will end. But I also wouldn’t freak out about it. The Browns aren’t going anywhere. They’ll be in Cleveland for a long time to come."

Albert Breer urges Browns fans not to panic about stadium drama

It's the last paragraph that Browns fans should fixate on there. He mentions that while he's not sure when this will be over, fans shouldn't freak out about the news. Breer even goes as far as to say the team will be in Cleveland for a long time.

After the old Browns franchise moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens, the new Browns were reinstated in 1999. While there have been some incredibly difficult times for the team since re-entering the NFL world, the team is headed in a good direction with Kevin Stefanski leading the charge and fans would be crushed to see the team leave again.

Let's hope Breer is correct and that the Browns are in Cleveland, as he put it, "for a long time to come".