After falling short in the AFC Divisional round last season, the Buffalo Bills are aiming for a grand opening with plans to unveil the franchise’s new stadium. The AFC East powerhouse will leave its old Highmark Stadium after 53 years. The Bills, as per Chief Operating Officer and President of business operations Peter Guelli, have put forth these demands to the league while garnering interest from major TV networks regarding this monumental day.
“We’ve already been approached by networks that would like to have it,” Guelli said at the NFL’s annual meeting, as per the Buffalo News. “We’re just trying to work through that. It’s really a league decision. We have talked to the NFL about our desire to potentially see that be a prime-time game. That discussion went well, and we’re going to continue to work through it and see where it nets out. However it’s set up, we’re going to make sure that home opener is a big event.”
The Bills started work on the New Highmark Stadium in 2023, and now, after three years, the new arena is expected to open this June. The Buffalo Bills used to play at the now-defunct Highmark Stadium between 1973 and 2025. During their stay at this stadium, there have been some great times for the team, such as the 1990s when they were unstoppable, but there have also been some bad times, including an unprecedented 17-year drought in the NFL playoffs.
So ahead of the unveiling of the New Highmark, the Bills made a huge demand from the league, wanting the perfect big-ticket game to usher in this new era. For Week 1 of the 2026 season, NBC, ESPN, and Prime Video hold the prime-time packages and could host the opener in Buffalo on Sunday night or Monday night of the first week, or on Thursday, Sunday, or Monday night of Week 2.
Furthermore, the home opener could also be delayed until Week 3. With this schedule, the Bills will be on the road for the first two weeks, but they’ll play eight home games and nine road games in 2026. With the NFL schedule expected until May, league commissioner Roger Goodell’s excitement towards the New Highmark Stadium could ensure the Bills get a blockbuster home matchup.
“I have a great deal of pride in Western New York,” Goodell said, as per WGR550. “But I also have a great deal of pride in the Bills, and how they’ve been able to work through and get the stadium in a great public-private partnership with the state, the county, and Terry Pegula and his team stepping up. So I’m excited. I haven’t seen the stadium in a few months, but we saw some more pictures this week that have me even more excited, so I look forward to being there.”
As the Bills Mafia looks towards this new era in the new stadium, Buffalo’s starting quarterback, Josh Allen, reflected on his time at the old Highmark Stadium at the end of the 2025 season.
Josh Allen reflects on the Bills’ old Highmark Stadium
Star quarterback Josh Allen has been at the helm of Buffalo’s success this century by leading the Bills to seven playoff appearances in his eight-year NFL career. Likewise, Allen was instrumental in the Bills’ dominance in the AFC East over the New England Patriots by winning five straight divisional titles until the 2025 season.
Alongside these team accolades, the 2024 MVP has been nearly unstoppable at home with a 49-15 record in the regular season and 7-2 in the playoffs. Through this winning record, Allen has recorded 185 offensive touchdowns and 1,467 passes for 16,930 passing yards at home, including playoffs. Hence, reflecting on his time at the old Highmark, Allen had nothing but good things to say.
“Yeah, it means a lot,” Josh Allen said before the final home game at the old stadium. “I know we got the red helmets out. Those are going to be pretty cool. I’ve obviously seen them in the locker room, and they’re really sweet. A lot of good memories in the stadium. But looking forward to making new ones as well.”
As the team moves into a new stadium, the Bills Mafia is confident that Josh Allen’s team will eventually win the trophy by overcoming their playoff problems.
