PALM BEACH, Fla. 鈥 Buffalo Bills Chief Operating Officer Pete Guelli has a message for anybody who thinks construction of the new Highmark Stadium is behind schedule.
鈥淭he stadium is going to open on time,鈥 Guelli said during an interview with The Buffalo News at the NFL鈥檚 annual meeting.
The new Highmark Stadium is scheduled to open in summer 2026, but contractors began working on installing the grass playing field this month.
The $2.2 billion stadium in Orchard Park, across the street from the current stadium, is now 50% complete, and the intent is to have the facility ready to host events in June or July 2026. The workforce is currently 1,200, and will increase to 1,400.
鈥淲hatever it takes to get the stadium done on time, we鈥檒l do,鈥 Guelli said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how they worked through a tough winter. They got through it, and they鈥檝e kept us on pace.鈥
The league is holding its meeting at The Breakers resort for the first time since March 2022, when the Bills signed their stadium agreement with the state of New York and Erie County. The initial price was $1.4 billion, with the state contributing $600 million, and the county $250 million. Since then, the price has risen to $2.2 billion, and Bills owner Terry Pegula is responsible for every dollar above the original amount.
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Asked if the price will go up again before opening, Guelli said: 鈥淚 hope not, but you can鈥檛 guarantee it. Ever since I came in (last spring), the numbers have been in that ballpark. We know the deal we鈥檝e signed up for, and Terry could not be more committed to it, and our goal is to make sure the stadium turns out exactly how we planned it. It needs to be a world-class, state-of-the-art facility that can house the Bills long term.鈥
On Friday, the Bills will hold a 鈥渢opping off鈥 ceremony to commemorate the final piece of steel being put into place.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pivotal moment,鈥 Guelli said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 the groundbreaking, the topping off and the grand opening, and (topping off is) the middle step, but we鈥檙e going to celebrate it with everybody who had a part of it. It鈥檚 going to be a very celebratory moment.鈥
Another key moment for the Bills was Monday morning when NFL owners agreed to a $650 million debt waiver to assist the Bills in financing the stadium. The league has a system in place to provide a loan at preferred terms that can be paid back in a negotiated period of time to help build new stadiums that include private money.
鈥淭his has been in the works since I came back (to the Bills last year), and it likely predated me,鈥 Guelli said. 鈥淲e knew we were going to approach the league about the debt waiver, and we鈥檙e thrilled the (NFL) finance committee and stadium committee voted to grant it.鈥
Guelli addressed many Bills topics during his interview with The News:
Celebrating the old Highmark Stadium
The Bills are formulating plans to recognize the final year of the current stadium, their home since 1973.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really looking forward to celebrating all of the history at old Highmark, and we鈥檙e going through all those moments trying to determine what are the best ways to commemorate them,鈥 Guelli said.
The Bills may involve season-ticket holders by creating special gifts, and they are looking at what uniforms to wear against which opponents (the schedule is normally released in May). The team is also developing a logo to celebrate the season.
How about a return of the red helmets for at least one game?
鈥淭oo early to tell,鈥 Guelli said.
The Bills鈥 nine-game home schedule includes the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, plus the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
Opening new stadium
The Bills would like to host three or four events before the team鈥檚 first preseason game in August 2026.
鈥淚deally, in a perfect world 鈥 events of different scales,鈥 Guelli said. 鈥淭he stadium needs to be ready (for the Bills), and it needs to be tested. Right now, we鈥檙e trying to determine what the right event is to open with. We would like to do something dramatic and larger-scale, because we know we鈥檒l have 60,000 fans in there, at some point, and we want to make sure everything from a football perspective works the way we anticipate it working.鈥
Bills chief commercial officer Jason Hartland and current Sabres director of live events Rob Crean will be the point people for new stadium bookings.
Guelli said the Bills will 鈥渁bsolutely鈥 have an open house for season-ticket holders, and will 鈥渓ikely鈥 have another event for the public to tour the stadium.
The Bills have said they want to encourage commercial development around the new stadium.
鈥淭he first thing to prove to (businesses) is this won鈥檛 be a 10-event venue (per year), and it won鈥檛 be,鈥 Guelli said. 鈥淲hether they鈥檙e massive events or smaller events for season-ticket holders or business meetings, there will be activity in that building year-round.鈥
PSL sales
The personal seat licenses for the new stadium鈥檚 upper level went on sale March 20. Guelli said The Bills Stadium Experience in Williamsville is open daily, and 鈥渨e鈥檙e having trouble keeping up with the number of appointments.鈥
鈥淰ery happy (with the process),鈥 Guelli said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e constantly looking at the pacing, and we鈥檙e right on track with where we want to be.鈥
Guelli said the lower bowl is 70% sold, and the goal remains to have every season-ticket account holder through the experience center by September. The wait list is at 7,000 accounts and 20,000 seats.
