But at least one obstacle remains: the lack of a new lease agreement for the Saints to remain at the Superdome.

The Saints' lease with the state of Louisiana runs only through the 2010 season, and a new agreement is a must if New Orleans wants to bid for the 2013 Super Bowl. Preliminary bids to host that event are due to the NFL by April 1, meaning the two sides have two months to reach an agreement.

"It is clearly the objective of both sides to have the basis for an agreement in time to make every effort to attract the 2013 Super Bowl to New Orleans," said Bill Curl, spokesman for the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, the state commission that governs the Superdome and other facilities.

"Our plan is to be at the table with our bid when the decision is made," said Greg Bensel, the Saints' vice president of communications. Saints owner Tom Benson "has made securing a Super Bowl for New Orleans a top-level priority, not only this year but since he has become owner of the Saints. He has demanded we put our best foot forward. There is too much to gain by hosting a Super Bowl."

New Orleans last hosted a Super Bowl in 2002, and before Hurricane Katrina, it was a regular in the NFL's rotation. The area has hosted nine Super Bowls, tied with South Florida for the most.

But South Florida, which last hosted in 2007, is set to have another Super Bowl next season, meaning it will pass New Orleans -- which many once considered to be the best host city -- as the record-holder. South Florida and Arizona, which has a new Phoenix-area stadium and hosted in 2008, are expected to be New Orleans' competition for 2013.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held his annual news conference at the media center in Tampa on Friday, which brought to town a number of the key figures in New Orleans' quest for a Super Bowl: Jay Cicero, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation; Rita Benson LeBlanc, owner and executive vice president of the Saints; and Doug Thornton, regional vice president for SMG, the company that manages the Superdome for the state.

"Clearly a long-term arrangement between the Saints and the state of Louisiana is something that we would like to see occur," Goodell told a large crowd that included those three. "The Saints have been terrific for the community, and I think the community has been great to the Saints. So it's a partnership that works very well. We hope that those negotiations will be successful and that they will do that as quickly as possible, but we understand the priorities that are going on."

--- Discussions under way ---

Planning for New Orleans' 2013 bid has already begun, according to all of the parties involved, and the planning will continue while lease negotiations go on separately.

"Competition to host Super Bowls is greater than ever, and when a city like Tampa can realize $300 million to $400 million in economic impact in a down economy, coupled with the unprecedented global media coverage for our city and region, it certainly makes everything that we are working on with the state a top priority," the Saints' Bensel said.

The main questions are whether the state and the team can come to an agreement in time for a Super Bowl bid and what that agreement would say.

Under the current terms of the lease, the state owes the Saints $23.5 million per year in inducements through the 2010 season. The state, which has had to dip into its general fund to make those payments for the past two years, likely would want to reduce those inducements in a new agreement, perhaps by replacing them with extra income from other areas.

Although April 1 is the NFL's deadline for 2013 Super Bowl bids, it could help to have a deal in place before the first major offseason meeting for team owners, from March 22 to 25 in Dana Point, Calif. The owners will then vote on the Super Bowl site at their next major meeting, from May 18 to 20 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Right now, it's clear the Saints and the state have work to do.

"We still have time under the Saints' current contract," said Kyle Plotkin, Gov. Bobby Jindal's press secretary. "Of course, we are always interested in talking to the Saints and the Hornets about their ongoing commitment to stay in Louisiana, but it's way too early in the process for announcing any future agreements."

--- Updating the Dome ---

Any new deal is nearly certain to include another major renovation for the Superdome. An updated facility could partially offset state subsidies with more game-day income, and, as Goodell suggested Friday, it would help New Orleans compete with other potential Super Bowl sites that have new stadiums.

The Superdome already has gotten more than $200 million in repairs and renovations since Hurricane Katrina, and a further upgrade could cost more than $100 million.

"The many improvements in the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina, which are still ongoing, have been done with the potential of a future Super Bowl in mind," Curl said. "The NFL has a vested interest in the Superdome, contributing $15 million to the reconstruction of the building, and the Superdome has a great history with the NFL, through six very successful Super Bowls."

He added: "Continuing to improve the Superdome is important to the NFL, to the Saints and to all of the other great events that grace this building. It is one of the great stadiums in the USA, and it is our responsibility to keep it state-of-the-art."

The renovation could include thousands of extra seats in the lower bowl, a widening of the plaza concourse and a relocation of the press box, which could make room for adding profitable suites.

"It's been a great Super Bowl city," Goodell said Friday. "If the stadium can be put into a first-class condition that we believe would make a great host stadium along with a great city, I think when they go up against the competition it would serve them quite well."

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Teddy Kider can be reached at tkider@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3409.