Tampa Bay Rays' new stadium proposal: What we know so far

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — For many of the nearly 28 years since the Tampa Bay Rays held their inaugural game in St. Petersburg's domed stadium, they have been looking for a bigger, better deal.

Tropicana Field's location, across Tampa Bay from the much-larger population base in Tampa, attributed to low attendance through most of those years.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays began as the most recent of Major League Baseball's expansion teams, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks. They eventually dropped Devil from the team's name and have carved a fairly successful path as a small-market team despite a low payroll and poor attendance.

Every few years, talks of a new stadium to replace the aging Trop evolved and dissolved, including a failed proposal to move to Tampa's Ybor City district and an effort to remain in St. Petersburg that seemed on track until Hurricane Milton in 2024 shifted local priorities. Last March the Rays withdrew from a $1.3 billion stadium deal with St. Petersburg.

Now stadium talks are back on, though few details have been released by the team, which has a new ownership group with new plans for the future.

The Rays signed a nonbinding memorandum of agreement last week with Tampa's Hillsborough College to build a multiuse facility on a 113-acre site along Dale Mabry Boulevard. The site is across the street from Raymond James Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play, and in the shadows of George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is the spring training home to the New York Yankees.

When would the stadium be built?

Few details about the stadium, including whether it will have a roof, have been released by the team. It has said it wants a roof, which is almost essential to avoid long delays during Florida's rainy season and spare fans the sticky summer humidity.

The team is continuing talks with officials in Tampa to get the deal completed. The agreement with Hillsborough College includes a six-month window for negotiations.

The Rays had been negotiating with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County for a new ballpark to be built adjacent to Tropicana Field. But the team in March withdrew from a $1.3 billion project to construct the new stadium, citing the hurricane and delays that likely drove up the proposal’s cost.

What happened to Tropicana Field?

Hurricane Milton struck Florida's Gulf Coast in October 2024, ripping Tropicana Field's roof to shreds.

The significant damage forced the team to play the entire 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, which underwent a 120-hour makeover following the Yankees' final spring training game to prepare for the Rays' opening day.

Meantime, repairs got underway at the Trop, and the team is expected to be back in St. Petersburg for the 2026 season. The Rays are under lease at the Trop through at least the 2028 baseball season.

The destruction caused by the hurricane and rising costs of repairs and new construction in part led Stuart Sternberg to pull out of a proposed stadium deal with St. Petersburg last year and sell the team.

The stadium opened in 1990 at an initial cost of $138 million and featured what the team said was the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof, with the panels made of “translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass” supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.

Playing at Steinbrenner Field, which has a capacity of 10,046, the Rays had 61 sellouts and drew 786,750, down from 1,337,739 in 2024, when they were 28th among the 30 MLB teams and ahead of only Miami and Oakland. In 2025, the Rays were 29th in attendance, edging out the Athletics, who are playing home games at a minor league ballpark in West Sacramento, California, while a new stadium expected to open in 2028 is built in Las Vegas. The As drew 768,464 fans in 2025.

What do we know about the proposed stadium?

So far, not a lot. Nothing has been made public about how much money the team’s ownership plans to contribute, or how much or even what they are asking from the city, county and state.

The new Rays ownership wants to create an atmosphere similar to Truist Park, where the Atlanta Braves play, which features a mix of shops, dining, living and work space outside the stadium. Again, few details have been publicly shared.

The memorandum-of-understanding with Hillsborough College also calls for creation of new campus facilities for the college.

Rays CEO Ken Babby said there is still a lot of work to be done.

“What I can say with certainty is that we believe with conviction that we’re going to be able to create a world-class work-live-learn-play development here in Tampa Bay, and we’re very, very encouraged and pleased by today’s outcome,” Babby said.

The team said in a statement that there are parking and access challenges at the location, but they will work through a comprehensive and collaborative process with Tampa, Hillsborough County, local law enforcement and planning experts to prioritize parking and overall mobility.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the state will not help finance the stadium. But he agreed to help facilitate the relocation of a juvenile justice facility on the property and added that the state could likely help pay for sewers and roads around the area.

Who are the new owners of the Rays?

Last September, a group led by Florida-based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski finalized a deal to purchase the team from former owner Stuart Sternberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at $1.4 billion.

Zalupski, the CEO of Jacksonville-based Dream Finders Homes Inc., is the team’s control person and a co-chair along with Bill Cosgrove, who is CEO of Union Home Mortgage in Ohio.

The team's new CEO is Ken Babby. Babby is CEO of Fast Forward Sports Group, which owns the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, a Miami Marlins affiliate, and the Double-A Akron RubberDucks, a Cleveland Guardians farm team.

Sternberg took control of the team from founding owner Vince Naimoli in November 2005. He oversaw the rebranding of the team from the Devil Rays after the 2007 season.

The Rays won AL East titles in 2008, 2010, 2020 and 2021 and twice reached the World Series, losing to Philadelphia in 2008 and to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.

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Giants request to interview Davis Webb for offensive coordinator vacancy

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Davis Webb could find his way back to the Big Apple.

The Giants have requested an interview with their third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft for their vacant offensive coordinator position, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday night. 

Webb interviewed this week for the head coaching jobs with the Raiders and Bills, and he additionally has received interview requests from the Eagles and Ravens for their open OC jobs.

The former NFL quarterback had two stints with the Giants, first in 2017 before being waived in September 2018 and again during the 2022 season when he spent time with the practice squad and started his first NFL game in Week 18 against the Eagles.

Webb ended his playing career after that season and moved into the coaching ranks, joining Sean Payton’s staff in Denver as quarterbacks coach.

Offensive Pass Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Davis Webb looks on during the second quarter of the Broncos’ win over the Packers at Empower Field at Mile High on Dec. 14, 2025 in Denver. Getty Images

Webb had long been viewed as someone destined to move into the coaching ranks and prior to making his move to the Giants for a second time in 2022, the Bills had wanted him to take on the role as their quarterbacks coach.

The QB told amNewYork in August 2022 that the decision to try playing one more season came from not wanting to regret anything in his career. 

“You can coach until you are old. Pete Carroll is getting older and there are a lot of coaches who have coached a long, long time,” he told the outlet at the time. “I’m not saying that I’m going to do that, but that’s always going to be there. Playing won’t be.”

Davis Webb looks on during the Giants’ loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 8, 2023 in Philadelphia. Getty Images

Since joining the Broncos staff in 2023, Webb has added passing game coordinator to his list of responsibilities and has earned praise for the job he’s done.

During his time in Denver, Webb has worked with Russell Wilson and helped develop Bo Nix.

“I think he’ll be a great coach for a long time,” Wilson told The Post in October about Webb. “I think he’ll be an offensive coordinator before you know it and then, God willing, a head coach. He’s got that ability.”

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End of Dave Portnoy’s Super Bowl ban comes with one NFL caveat

Dave Portnoy’s ban from the NFL is over. 

The Barstool Sports founder’s long-running beef with the NFL has come to an end, with the league telling TMZ on Monday that Portnoy is good to go to the Super Bowl 2026 on Feb. 8 to watch his beloved Patriots face the Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium as long as he buys a ticket. 

Portnoy had told the outlet before the NFL’s comments to TMZ that he didn’t think he was still banned and that “I have 100 percent intentions to go watch the Super Bowl as a fan and enjoy it.” 

Barstool founder and CEO Dave Portnoy. Getty Images

“I’m not looking for trouble. I’m just looking to cue the duck boats and have another parade,” he said. 

The feud between the NFL, Portnoy and subsequently Barstool Sports stems from a protest at the league’s Manhattan headquarters following the suspension of Tom Brady for four games over the “Deflategate” scandal in 2015.

Portnoy and three other Barstool employees ended up being arrested over the sit-in protest. 

The NFL refused to credential Barstool Sports for the Super Bowl several years later, citing the protest as its reason. 

Portnoy was also kicked out of the Big Game that same year in 2017 when the Patriots defeated the Falcons in a come-from-behind win after trailing 28-3. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell AP

But that now seems to be coming to an end in some fashion. 

“Breaking: I’m hearing that the NFL ban on Barstool Sports has been lifted It feels like the end of Rocky IV. This hasn’t been 100% confirmed but the Cold War may be over,” Portnoy posted on X on Monday.

What isn’t immediately clear is whether the ban that was lifted was just for Portnoy or if the NFL will start allowing Barstool Sports employees to attend league media events. 

Either way, the Barstool Sports founder will get to enjoy watching the Patriots attempt to win a seventh Super Bowl without having to worry about getting kicked out this year. 

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Steelers reveal hopeful timeline for Aaron Rodgers’ decision

The Steelers are hoping to have an answer about Aaron Rodgers’ future with the franchise figured out “in the next month or so.” 

That was the message from owner Art Rooney II, who stated in comments to the team’s website that left the door open for Rodgers to play another season in Pittsburgh. 

Rodgers, 42, has not given any sort of indication about what he is going to do next season, and with the Steelers naming Mike McCarthy their new head coach, further questions have arisen about whether the future Hall of Fame quarterback would want to play for the man who once coached him in Green Bay. 

“We don’t know what Aaron’s plans are right now, and that did not weigh heavily in the decision,” Rooney told the team’s in-house media about the impact Rodgers had on the decision to hire McCarthy. 

Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on prior to the NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium on August 16, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Getty Images

“We’ll see where Aaron is, and we’ve left the door open, but obviously we all have to sit down and see if that makes sense. So that’ll happen sometime in the next month or so. But the decision was made based on Mike being the coach we want, and it really had very little to do with whether Aaron is going to be back or not.”

Rooney had also mentioned that McCarthy liked what could come from developing 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard at QB.

The Steelers owner said that McCarthy thought Howard “has tremendous upside” while also mentioning Mason Rudolph and adding that “we’ll have to sit down and discuss where Aaron is, if he decides to come back, and whether that all makes sense.” 

Art Rooney II speaks at a press conference at Acrisure Stadium. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Reports earlier in the month seemed to indicate that the Steelers are not expecting Rodgers to return following the departure of former head coach Mike Tomlin. 

There’s also the possibility that Rodgers will end up retiring altogether instead of just leaving the Steelers. 

Rodgers declined to say what his future held after the Steelers were eliminated from the postseason in the wild-card round by the Texans. 

“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said. “At this point, obviously such a fun year. A lot of adversity, but a lot of fun. Been a great year overall in my life in the last year, and this is a really good part of that, coming here and being part of this team. So, it’s disappointing to be sitting here with the season over.”

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Empire State Building lights up in Patriots colors after they reach Super Bowl 2026 — and New Yorkers are furious

The Empire State Building was dressed up in the colors of the Jets’ biggest rival on Sunday after the Patriots secured a spot in Super Bowl 2026, drawing the ire of New York football fans. 

As has been the case over the years, the iconic New York City landmark was lit up in different colors to honor a major moment in the sporting world, which has led to some issues in the past. 

“Santa Clara bound! Shining in [Patriots] colors in honor of their AFC Championship win,” the Empire State Building’s X account posted on Sunday evening. 

Santa Clara bound!⁰Shining in @Patriots colors in honor of their AFC Championship win. pic.twitter.com/Fkhw1HSxo3

— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) January 25, 2026

Naturally, it led to some pretty upset replies from local fans, stunned that the New York City building would have the audacity to rep rival colors. 

“Wait, is this a joke?  You are in New York!  You think if the Jets won they would be lighting buildings up in green in Boston?  I feel like I’m having a stroke,” one person wrote on X. 

“Zero percent chance Boston would ever do this for a NY team. Disgraceful,” another person wrote on the social media platform. 

“Someone needs to get fired,” another individual added. 

It even led to some people calling on New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani to put an end to the practice. 

“@NYCMayor Can we stop lighting up the Empire State Building in celebration of non New York Teams,” the user begged. 

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel holds the trophy after the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. AP

New York football fans could get some solace in the fact that it was only a few hours that the Patriots’ colors took over the Empire State Building. They were later changed to green and blue to celebrate the Seahawks’ win in the NFC Championship game. 

And in that, there is even a connection to New York, with the Seahawks quarterback being former Jet Sam Darnold. 

Back in 2023, local politicians had some fun with the anger over the ESB being lit up in Eagles colors after they earned a trip to the Super Bowl, with the Department of Sanitation, then led by current NYPD commish Jessica Tisch, to post a jab on social media. 

New England Patriots fan cheers next to a Denver Broncos fan during the NFC Championship. AP

“For anyone who finds this as treacherous, traitorous, and unforgivable as we do – just pretend it’s green and white for #NewYorksStrongest,” the Sanitation Department wrote on the platform. 

“We take out the trash every day…and next year, that’ll include the Eagles.”

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Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans

After recovering from a disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets by beating the Utah Jazz on the road, the Spurs are headed back home to face a New Orleans Pelicans squad that has the worst record in the West but has still managed to make things difficult for the Spurs in their previous three match-ups. A win will give the Spurs a sweep of the season series, and it’s one they will want to have before heading right back on the road again and facing a sneakily tough schedule ahead of the Rodeo Road Trip in a few weeks.

San Antonio Spurs (31-14) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (11-36)

January 25, 2026 | 6:00 PM CT

Watch: FanDuel Sports | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs injuries: Luke Kornet — Questionable (adductor); Harrison Ingram — Out (G-League); David Jones-Garcia — Out (G-League); Stanley Umude — Out (G-League)

Pelicans Injuries: Jose Alvarado — Questionable (oblique); Dejounte Murray — Out (Achilles); Trey Alexander — Out (G-League); Hunter Dickinson — Out (G-League)

What to watch for

The return of Devin Vassell and the hunt for consistency

It has once again been a week of mixed results for the Spurs. Their offense has pretty much recovered from its post-Christmas slump, and they were steady and consistent as they gradually put the Jazz away at home to open the week. However, in their two road games since, they struggled to keep their foot on the gas after building sizeable leads. In Houston, they completely fell apart in the fourth quarter, giving up what had been a 16-point lead and unable to stop the Rockets on defense or find any good shots on offense, leading to another loss. Then the same thing happened in Utah, but fortunately for them, the Jazz were unable to maintain the momentum that had allowed them to come back and tie things up, and De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama put the team on their backs to recover and make a dominant game-winning run.

While that’s what you want to see from your superstars, it would be better to not even need their heroics. The Spurs need to recognize there such thing as a “comfortable” lead in today’s NBA and not let up. Perhaps Devin Vassell’s return will help them find some more of that consistency on offense since he is someone who can create his own shot when they get in a rut. Regardless, they’ll need to be careful because while the Spurs have won all three match-ups against the Pelicans so far, each has been close thanks to explosive performances from players like Trey Murphy III and Derik Queen, plus Zion Williamson played well in his one appearance against the Spurs (in the 2nd game of the season, which went to overtime). Speaking of Zion…

The uncertainty of Zion Williamson

He was supposed to be their savior: the one who mitigated the sting of Anthony Davis demanding a trade. With promises of a smaller version of Shaq, Williamson was going to be the one who made the New Orleans basketball a true contender for the first time since Chris Paul was there. Instead, he’s another cautionary tale of how sometimes hype and talent doesn’t align with reality. Don’t get it wrong: both are real for Zion, but he has never been able to stay healthy enough to live up to it and constantly faces scrutiny over how much of that is his own fault, to the point that there are massive incentives regarding body management tied to his contract.

Now, in a scenario that seemed almost unheard of a couple of years ago, he’s a part of trade rumors. The Pelicans may be accepting that he is not the one who will carry them to the promised land, and with no first round pick in this season’s loaded draft, trading him might be the best way to get one, even if the Trae Young deal showed teams are starting to value their own picks more than a star with massive question marks. Williamson has been his typical self when he’s played this season — a terror at the rim but not even a threat to shoot from outside — but it just isn’t translating to wins anymore. With the trade deadline looming, it will be interesting to see how focused he actually is.

The weather

For all the stereotypes about Texans out there, one that is absolutely true is we don’t handle winter weather well, especially as far south as San Antonio. (I was 25 before I ever saw snow in SA and only recall one “ice day” from school, although some form of winter precipitation has become a near-annual event this decade.) With a massive storm moving across the country and dipping well into the South, there is a chance for icy roads beginning Sunday morning, depending on if it’s still raining and/or wet enough once freezing temperatures set in. If so, it’s possible this game is either postponed or sparsely attended. If it’s the latter, please don’t judge us! We don’t have the road treatments and special tires folks up north do.

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You can follow along with game here on the Game Thread, as well as on our X profile (@poundingtherock).

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Mike McCarthy hire falls flat with many Steelers fans

The Steelers rarely hire head coaches. In the moves made since Richard Nixon was in the White House, the Steelers consistently have gotten ahead of the curve, spotting a future Hall of Famer before he became a household name.

Most expected that again. A first-time head coach not yet known to the fan base but, thanks to the Rooney imprimatur, destined for greatness.

Instead, Steeler Nation got a Pittsburgh native with 18 years of NFL head-coaching experience, and more firings than Super Bowl appearances. And while it's possible that Mike McCarthy, who has an 11-11 record in the postseason, will deliver the franchise's first playoff win since 2016, they're far more interested in their first Super Bowl win since 2008.

Some of the dismay comes from the decision to pounce on McCarthy before conducting in-person interviews with Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase or Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula. Some of it comes from the fact that no one else was seemingly hot on McCarthy's trail in the current coaching carousel, with McCarthy interviewed by only two teams — the Titans and Giants.

None of the other teams looking for new head coaches (Ravens, Browns, Cardinals, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, Dolphins) were linked to McCarthy. And if any of those teams reached out to McCarthy and he passed because he was waiting for a better opportunity with a more stable organization, there were no reports to that effect.

Go back to January 2025. When McCarthy left the Cowboys, the Jets, Patriots, Jaguars, Raiders, Bears, and Saints were conducting coaching searches. Only the Bears interviewed him.

The NFL, with only 32 teams, is a fairly small, tight-knit operation. Word gets around about the best coaching candidates. The league-wide buzz around McCarthy doesn't mesh with his objective accomplishments. That's a red flag for the folks who wave yellow towels.

Much has been made about McCarthy's track record in comparison to John Harbaugh's. Both have been to one Super Bowl. Both have won one Super Bowl. Postseason included, McCarthy has coached 310 games, winning 60 percent of them. Harbaugh has coached 317 games. He has won 60.9 percent.

But when Harbaugh became available, an instant land rush emerged for his services. His agent heard from more teams than there were vacancies. The Giants landed the biggest fish in the current cycle, with Harbaugh utilizing rare leverage to squeeze the Giants into reshaping their football operation.

For McCarthy, the vibe has been much different. After he was fired by the Packers during the 2018 season, there was no clamor to hire him in 2019. In the 2025 and 2026 cycles, there was one and only one offer. From the Steelers.

Steelers fans hold their team in very high regard. They believe the Steelers should be the franchise to which candidates with options flock. Despite the similarities between McCarthy's and Harbaugh's résumés, Harbaugh's arrival to the Giants carried the kind of buzz that the Steelers fans would have expected, if the franchise was going to break dramatically from its 57-year history of hiring a future star whose name was not yet widely known.

Really, if they were going the former-coach route, why didn't the Steelers make a run at Harbaugh? When Mike Tomlin resigned, Harbaugh had not yet begun negotiating a contract with the Giants. Presented with Harbaugh and McCarthy as the two options, it would have been an 80-20 issue for folks in the 412 area code.

And while wins (especially in January) will get fans to warm up to the decision, short-term losses will spark more of the naked vitriol that emerged during the embarrassing November 30 home loss to the Bills.

Consider McCarthy's first year in Dallas. A Week 9 loss to the Steelers dropped the Cowboys' record to 2-7. If that's how 2026 starts for the Steelers, they'll be chanting "Fire McCarthy" at Penguins games — and Styx will kindly ask the Steelers to cease and desist playing Renegade.

The silver lining in the black and gold cloud that many Steelers fans see brewing is that McCarthy had three straight 12-5 seasons in Dallas. The Steelers have had only two seasons of 12 or more wins since 2011, and none since 2020.

The sooner the Steelers can get that kind of performance out of McCarthy, the sooner Steelers fans will move past the perception that they settled for a coach who, despite his Harbaugh-esque successes, had nowhere else to go.

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