The Steelers home stadium has been “Heinz Field” since opening in 2001, but the place may have a new name soon.
The original naming-rights deal made with the then H.J. Heinz Company was a 20-year deal that expired last year but was extended for one more in the mist of the coronavirus pandemic.
But now, that deal has expired, or will soon. The Sports Business Journal reported a couple years ago that the original deal was worth $57 million and they say similar extension is unlikely.
“We have enjoyed a tremendous and beneficial partnership with the Kraft Heinz Company since Heinz Field opened in 2001,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said last year when the extension was announced.
But a lot has changed since 2001. Heinz has merged with Kraft to form Kraft Heinz and is now headquartered in Chicago.
While many people consider Heinz to still be a Pittsburgh company, The Burgh isn’t the ketchup giant it once was.
So if Kraft Heinz and the Steelers can’t come to an agreement, what would be the best sponsor to take over?
The Internet has some answers: