Steelers, Kraft Heinz in talks over naming rights for North Shore stadium

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in talks with Kraft Heinz Co. over possibly extending the longstanding naming rights for the team’s North Shore stadium.

The stadium has been named Heinz Field since it opened 21 years ago, the result of a 20-year, $57 million naming rights deal that was extended by one year in early 2021.

With the naming rights up again, both parties said they are focused on the negotiations but would not elaborate.

“We are focused primarily on conversations with Kraft Heinz about extending the current relationship. I don’t want to speculate anything beyond that,” Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten said.

A statement from Kraft Heinz acknowledged the discussions and said the company hopes to finalize its plans in the next few months.

“We are in discussions with the Steelers organization and are still considering our collaboration options. We’re proud of our 21 years of partnership to date,” the statement said. “Kraft Heinz is committed to our ongoing presence in and support of the Pittsburgh community, which remains our co-headquarters.”

In 2015, the local condiment giant Heinz merged with large food producer Kraft. The merger split the headquarters of the new mega company between Pittsburgh and Chicago.

While Heinz Field has kept its original name since, Duquesne University marketing professor Audrey Guskey said it opens the door for a new company to acquire naming rights to the stadium, which the Steelers share with Pitt.

Guskey acknowledged the Heinz Field name is iconic and was a perfect fit at the time when the naming rights were awarded 20 years ago, but naming rights have gone up significantly since then.

She said she’s unsure whether Kraft Heinz would agree to a naming-rights deal as hefty as some recent ones, including Crypto.com purchasing naming rights of a Los Angeles basketball arena for a reported $700 million and SoFi buying rights for a new Los Angeles football stadium for more than $600 million.

“I think the price of the ticket will be high,” Guskey said.

If Kraft Heinz and the Steelers are unable to reach a new deal, Guskey said she suspects there would be plenty of large, locally based companies interested. She said Findlay-based Dick’s Sporting Goods could potentially be a good fit because the company is expanding and sells sporting goods and merchandise, while the Washington County-based 84 Lumber also might want to bid, citing its big Super Bowl ad buy in 2017.

She was less bullish on health care giant UPMC, believing the company is more regionally focused on spending efforts on quality of health care.

“All Pittsburghers are probably hoping for one of our hometown guys to come up to the field (if Kraft Heinz walks away),” Guskey said. “These naming rights are a big deal. They are a really powerful tool. I don’t think the Steelers are going to be hurting to find someone.”