Smaller Bills Stadium Proposed For 2027

The Buffalo Bills proposed a more detailed plan for the construction of a new stadium on Tuesday, suggesting a 17% reduced capacity at 60,000 seats as well as an opening date of 2027, according to The Associated Press. 

Built with a mix of public and private funding, the stadium — which would be one of the smallest venues in the NFL — would cost roughly $1.4 billion, the same price at which Terry Pegula purchased the team itself in 2014.

The team’s current home, Highmark Stadium, opened in 1973 and needs its electrical and water systems replaced, as well as the upper deck, according to Pegula Sports and Entertainment spokesperson Jim Wilkinson.

The Bills’ lease — which included a strict no-relocation clause — ends in 2023, but fans aren’t the only people who want the Bills to stay in place. 

• The county committed $227 million toward extensive renovations in 2013.
• The Pegulas spent $18 million on a training center three years ago.
• Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office released a statement “no one is more committed to keeping the Bills in Buffalo.”

The new venue would not include a roof and would stay in the same area as Highmark Stadium. 

It still needs approval, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed confidence last week that those involved will find a way to get the deal done.