NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tariffs on steel from China have the potential to affect the price of construction on the new Nissan Stadium, which the Titans will move into for the 2027 season.
Under the stadium deal with Metro Nashville, such cost increases would amount to overruns for which the team would be responsible.
The increase could amount to 10s of millions of dollars, but the franchise is not expecting the worst-case scenario where the tariffs could add as much as $40 million. Some stadium steel is already in Nashville, with a good share of that already part of the structure that's erected in the framework of the new venue.
A truce announced Monday between the United States and China resulted in a drop of U.S tariffs on Chinese products from as much as 145 percent to a base of 30 percent. But that's only set to last for 90 days and if nothing is resolved, the tax could leap back up after that pause.
According to independent think tank, Peterson Institute for International Economics, the tariff was 20.8 percent at the start of 2025 and had been 19.3 percent since early in 2020.
The Titans and their construction company locked in the price of steel early in the process, but that was for the manufacturing and couldn’t include foresight on import taxes. Those hit when the product hits shore in Savannah, Georgia.
There may be some contingencies in the budget that will cover this area of overruns if they don’t get overly steep.
Other building materials beyond steel may also be coming from China.
