The NFL is a cash cow. If you need any more proof outside their lucrative television deals and hundred-million-dollar player contracts, just look at the rising costs of the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium set to open in 2026.
The Associated Press gave an update on the team’s new home ahead of their impressive win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The AP reports that the estimated cost has ballooned to $2.1 billion now, more than half a billion over original estimates.
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Construction on the stadium began 16 months ago. Not even the NFL is immune to inflation, which is why these costs have skyrocketed to astronomical numbers. The cost of materials is ludicrous anymore, just take a look at your local Home Depot and you’ll realize that.
For comparison’s sake, the Bills new field won’t be the most expensive football stadium ever, but it’ll be among the most costly. Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium reportedly came in around $5 billion. The Bills’ new place will likely be the second most, even ahead of Dallas’ AT&T Stadium which cost approximately $1.3 billion.
Not all of the $2.1 billion will come directly from the organization’s owners, though. The AP notes that “taxpayers are committing a combined $850 million.” Gov. Kathy Hochul fought hard to keep the Bills in New York and said that it was a wise investment for the people to chip into the construction costs to help pass the project.
The remaining 60% of estimated costs will come from the Pegulas, the family who owns the Bills.
I guess it makes sense when a team has a star quarterback who signed a six-year, $258 million contract, you have to make sure the prized possession is playing in a billion-dollar facility, too.
The NFL is literally printing money at this point.
