How much is the State of New York spending on Bills’ new stadium? Analyzing breakdown of Buffalo’s new home
The Buffalo Bills are one of the NFL's oldest franchises and will soon have a new stadium to call home.
In New York, the legislature signed off on a budget that will chip in $600 million to the team's construction of the stadium. Subject to their 30-year rental agreement with both New York State and Erie County, the franchise will get an astronomical $850 million from taxpayers.
For the construction of the new stadium, the team will get an additional $250 million from Erie County.
In the end, the state Assembly authorized $600 million in state funding by a 95-49 vote, with the state Senate passing the measure by a 39-23 vote.
Over $400 million of that money will come from gambling income while around $180 million will come from the capital projects section of the New York state budget.
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes commented that it was imperative to get this done:
"We are thrilled to have been able to get this over the finish line. It's not only important that we keep the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo – the only New York State NFL team. It's important we keep them here in the state."
The league separately signed off on a $200 million loan to Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula for construction of the stadium earlier this month. It will be just the third official facility of the team in its history.
Groundbreaking is set for this year, with the franchise scheduled to start playing in its new stadium in 2026.
How long have the Buffalo Bills played in their current stadium?
The Bills currently play at Orchard Park, their home since 1973 and the fourth-oldest complex in the league. Since then, the stadium has been under numerous names. From 1973 to 1998, it was called Rich Stadium.
It changed its name to honor longtime owner Ralph Wilson for 16 years (1999-2015). Since 2016, the home of the Bills has undergone three stadium names: New Era Field (2016-2019), Bills Stadium (2020), and Highmark Stadium (2021-2022).