NFL Franchise Notes: Bears, Packers Raising Ticket Prices

The Bears have raised ticket prices for the ’07 season “for all except the most expensive seats in Soldier Field,” marking the “fourth consecutive season in which a price hike of some sort has been implemented,” according to Brad Biggs of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Non-club level seats, which make up around 85% of the stadium, will cost $65-104 per game, while club seats will cost $235-340. About 73% of all seats will jump $5, with the remaining non-club seats increasing $8-9. The Club 3 seats, the “least expensive of the three-tiered club level seats,” will increase $20 to $235, while Club 2 seats will be $295, a $5 increase. Club 1 seats will be unchanged (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/3).

Packers Raising Ticket Prices At Lambeau Field In ‘07

PACKERS: The Packers will increase the price of all tickets at Lambeau Field by $5 in ’07. Packers Dir of Ticket Operations Mark Wagner said, “This increase keeps us in the middle of the pack in pricing. ... We take into account our league ranking in average ticket price and how that relates to our contribution to the shared revenues among visiting teams. The increase in price this year will take both figures to about 20th place among all clubs” (Packers). In Green Bay, Malavika Jagannathan reports the average ticket will be $63.39. The club last raised prices before the ’05 season, when they increased $4 each (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 3/6). Packers Chair & CEO Bob Harlan said that of “all the critical calls he receives, the fewest are in regard to ticket-price increases.” Harlan: “We don’t lose season-ticket holders because of price concerns” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/6).

WES IS MORE: With the Dolphins trading WR Wes Welker to the division rival Patriots for second- and seventh-round draft picks, NFL Network’s Adam Schefter said the Patriots “were prepared to sign Welker to a seven-year, $38.5[M] offer sheet that included $10.5[M] worth of signing-bonus money. In that deal was a poison pill that said if Wes Welker played four games in the state of Florida, the full contract ... would be guaranteed. I think Patriots Owner Robert Kraft took offense to that. He wanted to speak with Dolphins Owner Wayne Huizenga and the two men were helpful in engineering a trade.” With Welker being a restricted free agent, the seventh-round pick “was thrown in to avoid any type of hearing or drawn-out process (over) some crazy situation like it was with Minnesota and Seattle last year over (G) Steve Hutchinson” (“NFL Total Access,” 3/5).