NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are in the midst of a major rebuilding project with their roster.
They can only hope their progress goes as well as the construction of their new enclosed stadium.
The Titans currently hold the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft April 24 after going 3-14 in 2024 — their third straight losing season. They ended the season losing their final six games.
Tennessee broke ground on the new Nissan Stadium on Feb. 29, 2024. Team officials gave tours to reporters Monday showing off how much construction has been finished one year into the three-year project.
From the start, Tennessee has targeted construction being completed by February 2027, providing more than enough time for the Titans to move next door from their current, open-air stadium for the 2027 NFL season.
Kellen DeCoursey, the Titans' project manager for the new Nissan Stadium, said they feel very confident of meeting that timeline.
"We had some wins, we had some losses, but we're feeling like we’re right on track where we want to be,” DeCoursey said Monday.
The new Nissan Stadium is being built with what is considered the largest commitment of public funding for an NFL stadium with $1.2 billion combined being issued in state and local bonds. The name will remain the same as the current stadium, which became Nissan Stadium in 2015.
The new stadium is being built in what had been parking lots between Interstate 24 and the current stadium. Nashville has a group working to line up events, ranging from a Super Bowl and a Final Four to concerts.
Two shifts of workers have the framework of the new enclosed stadium in place with prebuilt concrete decking for seats being installed Monday in the west end zone — closest to the current stadium.
The building is a hybrid of concrete and steel, and being enclosed will protect the stadium from the elements that have had the Titans working to fix crumbling concrete, busted pipes and other issues for the past decade of the open-air stadium that opened for the 1999 season.
The new stadium will use a translucent roof similar to that currently used at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The cable-suspension system for the roof will help the new stadium top out at 235 feet or 80 feet taller than the top of the light standards at the Titans' current stadium.
The cables supporting the roof are set to start being installed in September, and DeCoursey said the goal is lifting the roof into place in May 2026.
Once construction on the new stadium is complete, workers will start salvaging equipment and gear from the current stadium. DeCoursey said that should take six weeks for stripping before demolition begins in March 2027. Demolition of the old stadium should take six months.
The field at the new stadium will run east to west instead of the north-south layout of the current stadium. One new feature is a mosh pit for Titans' fans, which already has sold out, in the east end zone closest to Interstate 24.
The west end zone will include a massive window for views across the Cumberland River at Nashville's Lower Broad honky tonk district once the current stadium is demolished.
And yes, DeCoursey said blackout curtains will be included to prevent sunlight from blinding players on the field.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press
