If any company out there is hoping to put its name on the Rams' new stadium in Los Angeles, they better run the plan by their accounting department first, because it's not going to be cheap.
As a matter of fact, if the Rams get their way, it will go down as the most expensive naming rights deal in NFL history.
According to the Sports Business Journal, the Rams are seeking a minimum of $30 million per year from any company that's willing to buy the naming rights at the team's new $2.7 billion palace in Inglewood, California.
Not only does the team want $30 million per year, but the Rams also want the deal to run for at least 20 years, which means any potential company looking to purchase the naming rights would have to commit a minimum of $600 million to the team.
SBJ also noted that the Rams are giving AT&T the first crack at the new stadium's naming rights. Apparently, the Rams are trying to take advantage of the fact that AT&T is trying to beef up its presence on the West Coast, and a $600 million deal would definitely be one way to do that for the telecom company.
To put the Rams' asking price in perspective, AT&T doesn't pay anywhere near $30 million for the naming rights to the Cowboys' stadium in Dallas. According to the New York Times, the company pays between $17 million and $19 million per year to have AT&T Stadium be the official name of Jerry World.
The upside for any company that might decide to drop the $600 million for the naming rights at the Rams' stadium is that their name will be everywhere. The new stadium is scheduled to host Super Bowl LV, and could also eventually host an NFL Draft. Not to mention, there will be two teams playing in the stadium, which means a home game -- and national television coverage -- pretty much every week.
The new stadium is also hoping to one day host the NFL combine and eventually become an off-site home for NFL Network.
The potential 20-year, $600 million deal would also blow out every other stadium naming rights deal that has ever been made in the NFL. The two most recent stadium naming rights deals in the NFL didn't even fetch $600 million combined.
In Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz is paying $324 million over 27 years ($12 million per year) for the naming rights to the Falcons' stadium, which is set to open this season. In Minnesota, U.S. Bank is paying $220 million over 25 years ($8.8 million per year) for naming rights to the Vikings' new stadium, which opened in 2016.
Those two markets don't compare to Los Angeles, though. A better comparison might be Levi's Stadium and MetLife Stadium. In Santa Clara, the 49ers received $220 million over 20 years ($11 million per year) for naming rights, while the Jets and Giants are getting roughly $17 million to $19 million per year from MetLife.
The situation with the Jets and Giants is probably the most comparable since it also involves a stadium being used by two teams.
Basically, if the Rams get what they're asking for, they would blow every other naming rights deal out of the water, and they would get a lot more than what they were going to get in St. Louis.
Before the Rams moved to Los Angeles, National Car Rental committed $158 million over 20 years ($7.9 million per year) for the naming rights on a potential new stadium in St. Louis.
