Grass Is Latest Issue With Bills’ New Stadium

The Bills are still working out the kinks at their brand new stadium as the NFL regular season approaches, and the latest issue is its grass.

The team’s new Highmark Stadium, a $2.2 billion home venue that opened this summer after three years of construction, will have its field re-sodded ahead of Week 2, when Buffalo hosts the Lions on Sept. 17, a representative for the team confirmed to Front Office Sports. 

The condition of the field came into question because of instances of sod being displaced during the stadium’s first football events, including two August preseason games. Player comments about the field also contributed to the uncertainty; one anonymous player told The Athletic earlier this month “the field is ass right now.”

The plan to re-sod was first reported on Saturday by the Buffalo News, which said the field passed the NFL’s safety and playability standards earlier this week.

“We’re committed to having the best possible playing surface for our players,” a team representative said in a statement shared with FOS. “With a stretch of three consecutive home games early in the season, we decided it was the appropriate time to re-sod our field.”

The process will begin on Monday, the statement said, and the full installation of the new surface is expected to be completed by the end of the week. 

“We will continue to monitor the field and every aspect of our new stadium to ensure it is the best possible experience for our players and fans,” the statement finished.

The grass isn’t the only aspect of the stadium that hasn’t necessarily provided fans and players with the best possible experience. The Bills said earlier this month they were “addressing internal and external feedback” after a weekend scrimmage generated record attendance but also revealed the presence of some obstructed-view seats, particularly in the upper deck. (Some of the seats that have received criticism online are not being sold for Bills games.)

Despite criticism of the obstructed seats, Highmark Stadium has drawn large crowds since opening its doors. Its first fan-facing event, the annual Return of the Blue & Red practice, drew 51,807 fans, beating the event’s prior high by more than 12,000. Buffalo’s first home preseason game—a 29–14 victory over the Panthers—drew 58,528, the team told FOS. The second game, a 28–27 comeback win over the Steelers to close out the preseason, drew 59,001, the team said.

Those numbers are all less than the Bills have drawn in recent years. Last year, the one home preseason game they played had 69,835 paid attendees, and in 2024, they averaged about 69,462 attendees over two games, according to The Football Database.

The drop can be partially explained by the fact that the new Highmark Stadium simply has fewer available seats than the old Highmark Stadium. The new venue has a total capacity of 60,108, compared to over 71,000 for the old Highmark Stadium.