The Buffalo Bills will begin a new era at the $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium in 2026.
Built in the shadow of The Ralph in Orchard Park, the state-of-the-art facility hosted its first team event over the weekend.
The ‘Return of the Blue & Red practice’ welcomed more than 50,000 members of Bills Mafia to Highmark on Saturday evening.
It was the first time many NFL fans had stepped inside, and was a moment they had been dreaming about for years.
Players, too, were witnessing their new home field for the first time, and one feature has gone down particularly well.
Bills lineman delights in ‘perfect’ Highmark Stadium feature
As they practised in their new ‘Nickel City’ uniforms — which have been panned by fans — Bills stars quickly noticed the surface under their feet.
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The team has opted to switch from artificial turf at the old stadium, to natural grass at the new one.
“Perfect. I love it. I might sleep out here tonight, actually,” offensive lineman Spencer Brown said of the new field, sharing his excitement.
Speaking days ago at camp, he revealed he ‘couldn’t wait’ to feel the grass under his feet.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane revealed last month that the decision to go for a natural surface came from owner Terry Pegula himself.
“Even before we knew exactly what this stadium was going to look like, Terry and Kim were both like, ‘No, we want to do grass. We know the players really like that,'” Beane told The Pat McAfee Show.
“Our guys in the locker room are definitely excited about moving over there and finally getting grass here in Buffalo.”
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The NFL has long been caught in a debate over artificial vs grass surfaces, which was re-ignited during the World Cup earlier this summer.
Every venue used for the soccer tournament installed FIFA-mandated grass fields, but many have since been ripped up and replaced for the upcoming football season.
The New England Patriots have even been forced into a late change, ahead of their preseason opener on Thursday.
New Bills stadium lands unflattering NFL comparison
While the playing surface at the new Highmark has been praised by Bills players, some fans were left unimpressed during the stadium’s soft launch.
Sightlines from a handful of seats, and the size of the new video boards, have caused a stir online.
Images that went viral over the weekend appeared to show a staircase obstructing views for spectators who will be looking down at the halfway line from the upper bowl.
Other fans described the scoreboards as ‘pretty underwhelming’ for a new $2.1bn stadium, while a rainstorm during the first team event at Highmark sent plenty scrambling from the weather, given there is no roof.
Those negative reviews, shared mostly on X, left the facility facing a rather unflattering comparison to MetLife Stadium.
“MetLife is the worst new stadium in the NFL. Buffalo: ‘Hold my beer.’ Yikes,” one fan joked online.
“Extreme MetLife vibes from all the videos and photos I’ve been seeing of the new Bills stadium,” another said.
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“The new Bills stadium is 10x worse than MetLife! How do you mess that up?” a third asked.
“Place looks super boring, like MetLife Stadium 2.0,” a fourth concluded.
Some aspects of Highmark’s design have been slammed by fans, but Bills players will at least have the luxury of playing on grass as they go in search of an elusive Super Bowl in 2026.
