I put a couple of throwaway sentences into a Wednesday story about Jeffrey Lurie selling 8% of the Eagles. Kyle shared it on social and it blew up:

“There’s a rumor going around that the Eagles want to build a new stadium with a retractable roof. If you sell off 8% of a team valued at more than eight billion, there’s a large chunk of your stadium money right there. Just a rumor though! We will “effort” more information.”

This is not my “report.” It’s a rumor I’ve heard, and I know a few other Philly sports scribes have heard it as well. Basically there’s been some Eagles buzz stemming, I believe, from City Hall, based on what I’d describe as “feelers” that the organization is putting out. After a basic investigation, I think the genesis of the rumor is super-preliminary discussions with the city that have been somewhat forced due to the current Comcast vs. Sixers beef.

Allow me to explain:

For starters, the Eagles have about eight years remaining on their lease. That’s what Lurie confirmed when he was asked in March whether or not the Birds were going to join Comcast-Spectacor and the Phillies in the sports complex redevelopment plan:

Question: Any plans to join the Development Project at the Sports Complex?

JEFFREY LURIE: “You know what, we talk closely all the time with Comcast and with the Phillies, and it’s something we monitor. At this point, we’re not a part of that, but it’s something we monitor closely, and we’re part of the sports complex, and we have, what is it, eight or nine more years on our lease. We’ll just keep monitoring it and try to figure out what’s best for the Eagles.”

This is a little confusing. I had to quadruple check, but the Eagles, in fact, do not own Lincoln Financial Field, which was built with a portion of public money. It is owned by the city, but the Eagles are the exclusive operator and have full control and use. They book events and more or less run the place themselves. That’s what trips people up, I think, because they read stories about Temple paying the Eagles to use the Linc, and think that the Birds are the stadium owner.

Right, so the Sixers arena passed through committee today, Thursday, seven years before it would even open. If you look at the Eagles having about eight more years left on their lease, it’s really not too early to start thinking ahead. And when you consider that Comcast and the Phillies have all these grand plans for the sports complex, you have to ask yourself what’s best for your franchise, and whether your future plans match the plans of the local hockey and baseball teams.

When we talked to Comcast-Spectactor’s Dan Hilferty in the summer, he said this about the Eagles:

“…we are continuing to talk to the Eagles, and the World Cup would not have happened without the Philadelphia Eagles stepping up and saying ‘we can make Lincoln Financial Field the best pitch, the best setup.’ The point of (me bringing that up) is that the Eagles are a great partner, the Eagles have bought into this whole concept of this sports district being a mecca, the best mecca for sports in the country. And they have other needs. Tailgating is a rich tradition mostly for the Eagles, though for the Phillies you get more and more tailgating. I look out my window and it’s happening. The Eagles are thinking about their options. We have to make sure we can show that their concerns are met, around parking, around transportation.”

There’s been no movement from the Eagles in the six months since that interview. And you ask yourself, does a mixed-used development surrounding the stadiums make sense for the Birds, who play, at most, a dozen home games a year? That’s one of the questions. But talks have been taking place for a while because the Sixers threw a wrench into the sports complex a few years ago. Back in 2022, a reader sent over this picture of Hilferty with executives from the other teams at a Sixers game. That’s Eagles Chief Operating Officer Frank Gumienny in the middle:

My theory is that the Comcast + Phillies + Sixers thing has pulled the Eagles into the sports complex and Lincoln Financial Field discussion maybe a little earlier than they had originally thought, but eight years is not a long time and they need to think about their future sooner rather than later. The Linc is only 21.5 years old and still in good shape, but will be 30 when the lease is up. Nine NFL stadiums opened after 2003 and four opened in 2002, so the stadium will be middle of the pack in shelf life soon, maybe 2028 depending on what happens with the Browns, Commies, Jags, and Bears. Buffalo and Tennessee will have new stadiums before then as well.

RE: Lurie’s specific goals, I’m not totally sure. I heard a whisper about a retractable roof, maybe as a way to get more events here. Wrestlemania was a huge success. The big outdoor concerts in the summer do well. Could the Eagles have something like SoFi or Allegiant at some point? Maybe. It’s hard to say. But it is curious, isn’t it, that Lurie would sell off 8% of the team for what we think amounts to more than half a billion dollars, at this particular point in time. Is he planning something big? What about a renovation? What does the city think? Is the Navy Yard in play? Will they turn down Comcast and do their own thing instead? And, if that happens, will the Flyers and Phillies proceed without the Eagles?

We have questions and seek answers. We will continue to effort and see if there’s more to be gleaned.