PHILADELPHIA \u2014\u00a0Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro walked the sideline at a Philadelphia Eagles public practice that drew 45,000 fans to Lincoln Financial Field on Tuesday night and insisted that any future Eagles stadium will not be built across city or state lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s what I can tell you for sure: It\u2019s going to be in the city of Philadelphia,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ll work with the Eagles once they determine what it is that they\u2019re interested in doing. But I appreciate the thoughtful and deliberative approach that they\u2019ve taken to this process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in March that the franchise is in an \u201cexploratory\u201d phase<\/a> researching stadiums both in the United States and around the world, studying both new construction and renovations. The Eagles\u2019 lease for Lincoln Financial Field expires after the 2032 season. Last summer, the Eagles emailed season ticket holders<\/a>, \u201cHelp Shape the Future Eagles Stadium Experience!\u201d and explained they were considering future changes, \u201cincluding both renovation options and the possibility of a brand new stadium in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n In Philadelphia, \u201cthe region\u201d can do heavy lifting. New Jersey is across the Delaware River, minutes from the Eagles\u2019 current site. Delaware is a short drive from Interstate-95. There are even different parts of the city (and the surrounding suburbs) that would go beyond the South Philadelphia stadium complex where the Eagles have played since 1971 and where the other three major professional sports teams play. The Philadelphia 76ers had plans last year to build a Center City arena before agreeing to a new arena with the Philadelphia Flyers across the street from their current site in the stadium complex.<\/p>\n