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10 Possible Locations for a New Eagles Stadium After the Linc’s Lease Expires in 2032
By Matt Schultz
Published:
When one door closes, another one opens. And before that happens, in my opinion, it’s fun to think about what those New Doors could be. Today the New Doors we’re talking about are potential sites for a new Eagles stadium.
The Birds have been playing at Lincoln Financial Field since 2003, and with their current lease ending in 2032, questions are piling up about what the team plans to do next. Eagles COO Frank Gumienny told John George at the Philadelphia Business Journal last summer that “everything is on the table.” –
Gumienny said that the scope of options “spans renovating the existing stadium to building a new stadium — with a goal of creating a venue that can host more than just Eagles games but also concerts and major events.”
Very interesting! With all that in mind, let’s run through options for our Birds.
Obligatory, Realistic Options I Have to List But are Boring to Me
1. They Stay at The Linc
I think this one’s lame as hell, but it’s probably easiest for the team, so it must be seriously considered. I personally don’t have a problem with the Linc; I just like the juice of something new. Who doesn’t? If you’ve been living in the same apartment for 23 years, isn’t it nice to think about what a new apartment might feel like? Even if the landlord says she’ll put on a fresh coat of paint, the whole thing’s still gonna feel a little stale. Give us some juice!
2. They Build a New Stadium in the Sports Complex
Slightly more exciting, but not by much. Seems like this would be a lot of time and energy just to give us something only marginally better than what we currently have. I guess maybe this one could be a dome, so Philly could be in the mix for Super Bowls and other big events… But even writing that sentence just now, I got bored! Don’t care! Let’s move on to some cooler ideas.
Still Realistic, But Slightly More Interesting
3. The Navy Yard
Okay, now we’re cooking… Philadelphians have been talking about putting something cool at the Navy Yard for about 3,000 years, so why not actually do it? I like the idea of the stadium being in a place that’s aesthetically nice to look at; this works! The Phils were in San Francisco a couple weeks back, and every time I see McCovey Cove, I’m both awed and jealous. It looks sick! Let’s do our version of that! I wanna see a bunch of hammered Birds fans floating in the Delaware! Don’t even give them kayaks, they get pool noodles! I can see vividly it in my mind: They’re kicking around too much, flailing and squirming and accidentally drinking river water! It’s not a safety hazard! It’ll be fine!
4. Camden Waterfront
Same idea as the previous, but this one is closer to my house (South Jersey rise up…). I think this would rule. In my opinion, people who care whether the Eagles (or any other Philly team) actually plays in Philly are being weird. Who cares? Why would you care? Just because the team name says “Philadelphia,” they have to play within the city limits? The city limits are trivial! Some guy just made them up. This feels like something a baby would care about. You’re saying you’d rather have the Eagles play under the ugly-ass 95-Girard Interchange, for example, than the Camden Waterfront, just because it’s in the city? Camden Waterfront is better! Grow up!
Semi-Realistic, But Not That Interesting to me Personally
5. Wilmington, Delaware
I lived in Wilmington for a year in 2023. I didn’t like it much at all. It’s way farther from Philly than you think it’s gonna be. It should only take, like, twenty minutes to get from Wilmington to South Philly, but the nightmare of 95 would sometimes turn it into an hour-plus drive. In my opinion, this would not be good. But! Gotta imagine Delaware Heads would be hyped on this. All 200 people who live there.
6. King of Prussia
I would never go. It’s simply too far from my house. But I think a lot of people would be excited about this. It’s important to remember that there are all kinds of people in this world. For example, someone out there – maybe even someone reading this blog – went to the Netflix House at KOP and had the time of their lives. To that person, having the Eagles stadium near KOP would probably be pretty sweet. They could go to the mall and put on a VR headset and say “I like your wry attitude” to Dustin from Stranger Things (or whatever happens at the Netflix House, that’s how I picture it), and then go right to an Eagles game. I think that’d be nice for them.
The Good Stuff: Huge Swings That I Love
7. The Greater Northeast
I’m from this general area (born in Fox Chase, grew up in Trevose), so this idea is very sentimental and cool to me. I have long wished there was more of a connection between downtown Philly stuff and Greater Northeast life (Without fail, I will talk at you about the long-proposed Northeast Subway and how it’s a crime it doesn’t exist yet after having exactly two beers).
Not to say the Northeast doesn’t have its own unique culture, because it does – but the idea of having the Birds stadium in like, Byberry Industrial Park (bunch of warehouses no one cares about, tons of space, tear it down and build), of thousands of fans having to make the pilgrimage all the way up Roosevelt Boulevard and 95, of tailgaters setting up grills in plain sight of 100 vague-looking warehouses that repair vending machines – fills my heart with joy. The Northeast would become the epicenter of the Philly universe, as it should be. Come pay your respects…
8. Cherry Hill
I believe there’s been a mass psyop over the last ten-ish years in America to make people dislike the suburbs. I love the suburbs. I love being in my car. I love strip malls. I love Cheesecake Factory, Hand & Stone Massage Spas, Apple Stores, and Rally House. And Cherry Hill has it all! What’s to dislike? Cherry Hill is essentially one huge mall. And malls rule! How can we, as a culture, be so collectively enthralled with the 90s, but then be so down on a place like Cherry Hill? You see the hypocrisy here, yes? If you love the 90s, you should want nothing more than to be in Cherry Hill for the rest of your days. So let’s put the stadium here and force everyone to reconsider their brainwashed, negative opinions on the suburbs.
My Favorite One (We Gotta Do This)
9. Atlantic City
This is the dream scenario. I love Atlantic City. I am a firm believer in Atlantic City and its (inevitable!) bounce back as one of the premiere cities in the United States. People forget! Atlantic City was one of America’s great prizes! The Beatles played at Boardwalk Hall! Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there! A.C. has the world’s first-ever boardwalk! Jazz history! Boxing history! Monopoly! All that stuff! Atlantic City is the best, and we can return it to its World Class status with a little help… and a good start is by putting the Eagles stadium there.
The land in A.C. is cheap as hell! There’s plenty of space! Getting to A.C. from Philly is pretty much just one road, and, in my opinion, it’s a pretty pleasant drive! Picture it: You just spent an entire morning and afternoon tailgating on the beach, then you can walk over to the Birds new state-of-the-art stadium for a 4 p.m. kickoff. 80,000 Eagles fans absolutely torched with the worst sunburn you’ve ever seen! Then, after the game, all 80,000 head over to Ocean Steak for a N.Y. Strip! We can do this! We have the numbers! They can’t stop us!
Anyway, those are a few ideas. The Eagles are probably going to stay at the Linc.
Kinkead: I’m gonna hit you with a bonus TENTH possibility
10. The River Wards
Hear me out – there is unused green space along graffiti pier. The Eagles could relocate into the River Wards and build a beautiful waterfront stadium. A special portion of the venue would be reserved strictly for Port Richmond and Bridesburg mongrels and after each win the players jump off the pier into the water to celebrate. It could be a brand-new tradition. Who says no? It’s right off I-95 and accessible by mass transit. Pregame at Stock’s Bakery. Postgame at the Aramingo Avenue Wawa. GO BIRDS!
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…)