The naming rights of the New Meadowlands Stadium now belong to MetLife, according to someone with knowledge of the agreement who cannot speak publicly because it has not been publicly announced. MetLife, a public company that provides insurance and other financial services, is currently one of the four cornerstone sponsors of the year-old stadium.

The news was first reported by the New York Post, which said the deal is worth $20 million annually for 20 years. In late June, Sports Business Journal reported the naming rights deal for New Meadowlands Stadium would net between $17 million and $18 million each year.

A naming rights deal is especially important to the $1.6 billion stadium in East Rutherford, which hosts the 2014 Super Bowl. Cowboys Stadium hosted the Super Bowl last season without naming rights, which have become more difficult to sell in recent years.

"This would be a major development in naming rights, because this is a pre-eminent facility," said Steven Korenblat, a St. Louis-based lawyer who represented Citigroup in its title sponsorship deal for the Mets' ballpark, during an interview with The Star-Ledger in June.

“The market, and recent developments, have probably led a number of public companies to reconsider whether it would be a plus or a minus to put their name on stadiums. To see MetLife to put their name on it could help break the logjam.”

MetLife already was one of the cornerstone sponsors at New Meadowlands Stadium, and its old spot inside the stadium is now open.

Zach Berman: zberman@starledger.com