Earlier this summer, star guard Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a three-year contract extension, ensuring he will remain in the city for the foreseeable future.
Mitchell seems to be embracing his new home and recently took to social media to defend the latest renderings of the Cleveland Browns’ potential new stadium. This came after local reporter Evan Dammarell criticized the renderings as “ugly as sin.”
Naaa Ev no way 😂😂that stadium gonna be fire ‼️‼️ https://t.co/JRrIdy1QKu
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) August 7, 2024
The Browns’ current lease on Cleveland Browns Stadium will expire after the 2028 NFL season. As a result, the franchise and the city are exploring future options, currently leaning towards a domed stadium that would be one of the most modern in the NFL.
“We do not take the stadium decision lightly, and have been working diligently with city, county and state officials to consider all opportunities,” wrote Dave Jenkins of the Haslam Sports Group. ” We need to be bold, we need to be innovative, and we need to take advantage of this unique moment to create a transformational project not only for our fans, but for Cleveland, the Northeast Ohio region and the State of Ohio.”
The Cavs are no strangers to improved facilities. Just a few years ago, the franchise updated its arena and renamed it Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavs have enjoyed a fair amount of success in their updated stadium, advancing to the playoffs in the past two seasons. Unfortunately, a promising playoff run in the 2023-24 campaign was derailed by injuries.
Mitchell was one of several key players who went down with injuries during the playoffs last season, resulting in just one win in their second-round series against the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
As for the Browns, they too advanced to the playoffs last season but lost to the Houston Texans in a wild-card game. Anticipation for the Browns’ season is growing as kickoff nears. The Browns made some exciting offseason moves this offseason including adding receiver Jerry Jeudy, running back Nyheim Hines, linebacker Jordan Hicks and defensive end Za’Darius Smith.
Beyond that, the hope within the franchise is that quarterback Deshaun Watson can regain the form he displayed earlier in his career.
If he can do that, the Browns could be a serious threat in the AFC.
