Multiple outlets have reported that Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn commented that the team could go 'wherever we wanted' if they choose not to extend their lease this June.

Egregious Comments? Analyzing Katie Blackburn's Update Cincinnati Bengals Contract Talks With Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract. The Bengals gave him permission to seek a trade last month,

The only "move" referenced by reporters in the Blackburn interview was taking the team out of downtown and shifting somewhere else in the area -- while she repeatedly stressed the team wants to stay downtown.

The Cincinnati Bengals could be another NFL team that is forced to relocate, as the team will need to decide if they plan to extend their lease by June.

Cincinnati's executive VP says the team wants to stay in a renovated Paycor Stadium, but a June 30 deadline looms to agree to a deal.

All eyes in Cincinnati are suddenly on the ticking clock toward an expiration of the Bengals' lease at Paycor Stadium. Earlier this week, Bengals executive V.P. Katie Blackburn acknowledged the reality that, without an extension, the Bengals are technically free to play anywhere in 2026.

"A June 30 deadline to exercise the first of five two-year rolling extensions of the Paycor Stadium lease approaches," Dehner Jr. wrote. "It will be an inflection point for keeping the Bengals on The Banks in downtown Cincinnati."

The Bengals invested in the interior of the defensive line in last year’s draft, and they are still banking on them.