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The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing home games at Heinz Field for a long, long time — since 2001. But that won’t be the case anymore.
According to Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan, the two sides could not reach a deal.
Breaking: Heinz Field is no more. The ketchup giant will not extend its naming rights deal for 2022. Sources say a new name for the stadium could be announced this week.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) July 11, 2022
President Art Rooney was optimistic the two sides could strike a deal earlier this season. But, unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
Will Heinz Field be Heinz Field next season?
With the naming rights to the stadium up, Steelers President Art Rooney II tells me he's optimistic about keeping the name as is. pic.twitter.com/84YnNqX0Mx
— Jenna Harner (@JennaHarner11) February 24, 2022
The ketchup bottles in the stadium might need to go away, and who knows what the new name will be.
Heinz paid $57 million during the time of the arrangement, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and the new rights — for whoever takes it — will be a tremendous amount of cash.
This is tough news for Steelers fans, especially for the generation who haven’t seen anything else.
The Name Suggestions For Heinz Field Are Priceless
When the news came, people flocked to react to the disappearance of the iconic name. But, more than that, some hilarious name suggestions came out.
Your moment has arrived, @greypoupon_us. https://t.co/ZoNytFhgGs
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) July 11, 2022
Do it @Clorox. Hidden Valley Field. Happy Valley needs a counterweight. https://t.co/N9aVQdhwNL
— Will Rubin (@WillCRubin) July 11, 2022
Century III Chevrolet Field at Lebanon Church Road Stadium
Minutes from Tequila Cowboy https://t.co/BPDuNSyOgp
— Adam Smeltz (@asmeltz) July 11, 2022
Grey Poupon can finally make its play. https://t.co/PqO8T3fX2z
— Jason Foster (@ByJasonFoster) July 11, 2022
The petty thing to do would be to name it Hunt's Field. https://t.co/tEgvyHgU1O
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) July 11, 2022
Congratulations @Hellmanns on the naming rights. https://t.co/ZLeXUJ5tC1
— Brian Coulter (@PhilaBCoulter) July 11, 2022
Nick Chubb Field? https://t.co/CWJliqq3sG
— Offseason Chopz (@Pchopz_) July 11, 2022
French's field feels right https://t.co/ozn0Z8luSh
— #Facts (@FLICKor) July 11, 2022
All signs point to the University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center being the lead horse in this race. The Steelers’ practice facility is owned by that company, so them taking the stadium makes sense also.
But, for most, it will always be known as Heinz Field.
Don't care. I'm still calling it Heinz Field. https://t.co/oqFZme0ifh
— Matthew Kempf (@mjk21_) July 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/Commanders2Hell/status/1546342066841608193?s=20&t=Q2nhCqGcShpESyzL8D2JHQ
It’s gonna be like Staples Center. Will always be Heinz Field 😂 https://t.co/z5jP2ajQss
— Nick Olsen (@NickOlsen_) July 11, 2022
So, Heinz Field is no more. It will take some getting used to. But, on Monday morning, the new name was announced: Acrisure Stadium.