New stadium is 'Plan A' for Tennessee Titans. Team president Burke Nihill explains why

Tennessee Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill said a new stadium has become “Plan A” for the franchise because it is the most holistic 30- to 60-year solution for Nashville. 

On Thursday, following an analysis by AECOM Hunt construction, Nihill presented findings to Metro Sports Authority that further supported the team’s stance that the best value for everyone would be to build a new stadium. 

Nissan Stadium will need close to $900 million in upgrades to remain stable until 2039, according to the analysis, on top of the $1.2 billion needed to renovate the facility today. A new stadium could cost between $1.9 billion and $2.2 billion, according to recent projections.

Metro's obligation under the current lease through 2039 totals $1.8 billion, according to the Titans. 

In discussing Thursday some of the flaws of Nissan Stadium’s 1997 structure, Nihill told Metro Sports Authority that water infiltration issues have been worked on since 2015-16 and that contractors have conveyed it's a process that "likely never ends." He added that inefficient water pumping through old pipes is helping utilities near the end of their useful life. 

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“The mayor said it last week in (a Tennessean) op-ed that in his opinion, doing nothing is not an option. I think we’ve seen it that way for three or four years. Probably longer,” Nihill told reporters. “Just understanding that the condition of this building, the increasing NFL standards and really all standards for building that we had to stop plugging holes and come up with a comprehensive solution.”

“The building condition of the current building (and) the inflexibility of the current building makes it hard to picture that building being a 50 or 60-year-old building, which is what it would be if we extended the lease and did the financing necessary to do a large-scale renovation,” he added.

Nihilll said a new 1.7 million-square-foot stadium could be “transformational.”

The current stadium lease, which requires Nashville to maintain a “first-class” stadium, expires in 2038. In his recent op-ed, Mayor John Cooper said any new agreement would make the Titans responsible for stadium maintenance and improvement costs. He said he asked the Titans to cover any construction cost overruns, and Metro plans to work with the team to ensure the project supports "high-paying jobs (and) meaningful minority contractor participation," as well as affordable housing and green space.

"I will not sell public land, raise the sales tax, or spend your property tax dollars to fund the stadium," he wrote, promising that funding would come from "tourists and spending around the stadium."

“You can have it not just starting off with the ... amenities that are expected of these facilities, but also making sure you’re building in modularity and flexibility so that the building survives the test of time and we’re not in this situation (again),” Nihill said. “So it would be transformational, if that opportunity arises, to go from what is a building we’re proud of (to a new stadium). We’ve lived (at Nissan Stadium). It’s our home. There’s great memories in Nissan Stadium. 

“But if given the opportunity to look at a new building, there’s some clear advantages in terms of longevity and wisdom of spending, as well as cultural opportunities.” 

Ben Arthur covers the Tennessee Titans for The USA TODAY Network. Contact him at barthur@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @benyarthur.