Haynes calls Price to keep name at Steelers ‘far more than we can justify’

When Heinz Stadium first got its name, Heinz paid $57 million (get it?) over 20 years for the naming rights. Since then, the price of naming an NFL stadium has skyrocketed, and Heinz can no longer justify it.

The Steelers’ main stadium will change its name to Acrisure Stadium afterwards Acrisure agreed to pay more than $10 million a year naming rights. Haynes said he simply doesn’t see that kind of money worth spending.

“While we worked hard with the Steelers for several months on a new naming rights deal, they found a new partner who was willing Pay a lot more than we can Kraft Heinz said in a statement.

Haynes noted that she maintains a strong presence in Pittsburgh and will continue to sponsor the Steelers, just not on the same financial level or as important.

“Pittsburgh is the city where H.J. Heinz was born and launched into what is now an iconic global brand. The Steelers is a legendary franchise, and with it Heinz is a winning combination that represents some of the best of Pittsburgh . . . while our name is no longer on the court, Heinz will remain a significant and long-term sponsor of the Steelers and we are excited to announce the details of our new partnership in the coming days. Kraft Heinz is committed to its continued support of the Steelers family and the Pittsburgh community, in a city that is our joint headquarters,” the statement said.

NFL teams are in the business of making money, selling the stadium naming rights to the highest bidder. And sometimes the highest bidder is a company with an odd-sounding name like Acrisure, rather than a popular local brand like Heinz.