INDIANAPOLIS -- Negotiations to keep the Colts in Indianapolis may be skirting the issue of a new stadium, but make no mistake: In the not-so-distant future, the football team will try to get one.

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Part I:New Stadiums And Other Teams Part II: Irsay: New Stadium Ultimately The Goal

The key question, team owner Jim Irsay says, is when.

"There's no denying saying that sooner or later, you have to have a new stadium," Irsay (pictured, left) told RTV6's Ray Cortopassi on Thursday.

The Colts have been negotiating for a new agreement with the city, saying their revenues are among the bottom third of the league. According to Forbes.com, the Colts ranked 27th out of 32 NFL teams in terms of revenue in 2002 (and 29th in terms of value).

The team's current lease at the RCA Dome runs into 2013, but the Colts could break it after the 2006 season if their revenue isn't equal to or greater than the median in the NFL in two out of the next three seasons, beginning with this season.

Indianapolis could compel the Colts to stay by paying the amount that the team falls short of the NFL median. According to data in the Forbes.com article, the Colts in 2002 missed the median by about $13 million and the average by about $18 million.

But though the payments may happen, Irsay said Thursday they are not a long-term solution.

Irsay -- who says he wants to keep the Colts in Indianapolis -- said that to keep the team competitive, the Colts will require the extra revenue a new stadium can bring.

"We're significantly, significantly below the average (in revenue), and that disparity is growing. Yet the average determines what our expenses are with the salary cap," Irsay said. "That's what makes things so difficult."

Irsay: Teams With New Stadiums Have Edge

Irsay points to the NFL teams whose revenues have soared with new stadiums. Of the NFL's top 15 revenue-making teams in 2002, 13 had stadiums that either were built or significantly renovated within the past 10 years, Cortopassi reported.

"A new stadium, obviously, is ... something we have to get to," Irsay said. "I think a new stadium provides the additional luxury suites, club seats, tickets, et cetera, that allow the people who love football ... to take more pressure off the political element, so to speak."

Other data appear to show that new stadiums have boosted the revenue of NFL teams.

When the Washington Redskins moved into a new structure in 1997, they ranked second in terms of locally generated revenue. The year before, they ranked 17th, Cortopassi reported.

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COLTS Will The Colts Leave?

In 2002, the Redskins led the NFL in franchise value and revenue, according to Forbes.com.

The New England Patriots, too, saw more money with a new stadium. In 1999 -- while in their old facility -- the Patriots ranked 29th in operating profit, according to statistics released by the NFL. In 2002, according to Forbes.com, the franchise ranked fourth in value and revenue.

New or renovated stadiums don't guarantee a place among the league's big earners. The Cincinnati Bengals, who are playing their second year in a new facility, ranked 24th in revenue in 2002 according to Forbes.com.

But the Bengals, who lost most of their games last season, still brought in $4 million more than the Colts, who made the playoffs.

What Will Irsay And The City Do?

Because of the escape clause in the Colts' lease at the RCA Dome, and because the much larger city of Los Angeles is looking to land an NFL team, the media have speculated that the Colts could head west.

Irsay -- as he has indicated in the past -- said Thursday that he wants to keep the Colts in Indianapolis. When asked if he wanted to look for greener pastures, he answered, "Not at all."

"I love the Midwest, and to me, my interest is to have a great football team, have a chance to win a championship and have a first-class organization," Irsay said.

News reports have said the city has offered to pay an additional $10 million per year to help the team reach the NFL's median revenue level. The city already pays the Colts about $12 million per year, Marion County Treasurer Greg Jordan said during his unsuccessful campaign for the mayor's office earlier this year.

The city's chief deputy mayor, Michael O'Connor, says a new stadium is not a key in current negotiations.

"We've been very clear that a stadium deal is not a required part of any agreement we want to sign," O'Connor said.