Buffalo Bills: Recent comments on the future of New Era Field

Some recent comments were made regarding the Buffalo Bills’ home of New Era Field, but no imminent changes seem to be on the horizon.

The Buffalo Bills spent a lot of money to renovate New Era Field, then known as Ralph Wilson Stadium, back in 2014. That seemed to signal a long-term stay in the place the Bills have called home since 1973.

There are no imminent moves being made, but a recent article by ESPN’s Mike Rodak featured some comments from both Roger Goodell and Terry Pegula on the future of the stadium.

From the article:

"NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday he believes the Buffalo Bills are in the “very early stage” of planning to extensively renovate or replace New Era Field, the team’s home field since 1973.“They’re looking at how they address these issues [with the future of the stadium] long term,” Goodell said at a news conference during the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Florida. “But I think those are better coming from the Pegulas, whenever they’re at the point at which they want to share that with the community. I think they’re at a very early stage, at this stage.”"

Nothing too crazy here, and Rodak points out how the team may just be looking to renovate the stadium as opposed to building a new one.

That seems to remain the case, according to Pegula’s comments in the recent past:

"Pegula said last August, “We just got through with a remodeling and a major contribution from the state of New York on the stadium. I feel that, in light of that, we’re not in any planning session at all right now for a new stadium. We’re still enjoying what’s been done to New Era Field.”"

Building an entirely new stadium would be expensive and seemingly unnecessary if the team focuses on renovating New Era Field. It is an older structure, but no one wants to get into the debate of funding a new stadium when there are no glaring issues with the current one.

The lease on the stadium expires in 2023, but I simply don’t see where a new stadium would be built if the team couldn’t reach an agreement on renovations. It is an unnecessary headache and all this talk about the stadium may just be a result of reporters seeking some clarity on the topic and getting a few interesting soundbites.

If the team does eventually decide to move, that will be a long planning process that won’t happen anytime in the next few years.

Next: Why the Buffalo Bills should try to get Odell Beckham Jr.

So for now, the tailgates can continue and the main focus can be on the team on the field, as opposed to the field itself.