The Buffalo Bills are planning to build a new outdoor stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., WROC TV reported Friday.
The open-air facility would include partial covering for seating areas and would require 3-5 years to finish, opening as soon as 2025 but more likely in 2026 or 2027.
The report said downtown Buffalo was given strong consideration as a building site, but remaining in Orchard Park is more cost effective.
“The team still needs to obtain government approvals in a variety of areas, including funding. All of which could delay the timeline,” read the report.
The Bills have played at their current stadium, now called Highmark Stadium, since 1973. It is the fourth-oldest NFL stadium presently in use behind Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium (opened in 1972), Green Bay’s Lambeau Field (1957) and Chicago’s Soldier Field (1924).
Highmark Stadium has previously been known as Bills Stadium, New Era Field, Ralph Wilson Stadium and Rich Stadium.
The Bills’ current lease at Highmark Stadium expires in 2023. To bridge the gap until the opening of a new facility, the team could either extend the lease with Erie County and New York or potentially play home games in Toronto or at Penn State University in State College, Pa., per the report.
