Highmark Stadium has been the subject of many varying discussions this offseason.
Some good . . . and some not so good.
But, either way, there’s no denying that the Buffalo Bills’ new $2.2 billion home venue is the talk of the town—whether it be amongst Bills Mafia or elsewhere in the league—and it’s received much feedback ever since select media members were first allowed into the stadium for a tour on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Newest NFL stadium in WNY has been three years in the making
The date marked three years and 18 days from the franchise’s original groundbreaking ceremony for its new home base, which was held in Orchard Park, New York, back on Monday, June 5, 2023, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul on site, as well as other prominent figures such as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Bills’ owner Terry Pegula, general manager Brandon Beane, and former head coach Sean McDermott..
A lot has changed since that time.
The old venue across the street is no longer standing in Western New York, and neither is McDermott.
It’s truly a new era in Bills’ football.
And, now the team’s new athletic arena is about set to play host to its first ever NFL regular season game in a mere matter of days.
Many issues have surfaced regarding Kentucky bluegrass at new Highmark Stadium
But, it hasn’t come without its fair share of headaches to handle as of late, particularly when it comes to the new all-natural grass surface.
After several critiques from players following a couple of open-public practices and preseason games in mid-to-late August on the Kentucky bluegrass from Tuckahoe Turf Farms in New Jersey, team president of business operations Pete Guelli recently announced that the Bills’ organization was going to be replacing the entirety of the sod that had just been placed down during the final portions of stadium construction.
And, Guelli added that the franchise was going to be doing it before its home opener against the Detroit Lions on Thursday, September 17.
Needless to say, the short turnaround from the preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 27 to Buffalo’s first home game in that second full week of September certainly caused some commotion amongst the fanbase these past few days, to say the least.
But, rest assured, Bills’ fans, Guelli hit the airwaves on Thursday morning to announce an update regarding the installation process.
Guelli states new iteration of Highmark Stadium’s grass field to be completely installed by Sunday
Apparently, it’s close to being completed.
“First of all, it’s being installed as we speak, and we’re expecting the installation to be done this weekend. So, it gives you a nice window to kind of treat the field, and make sure it’s ready for opening day,” Pete Guelli said during an appearance on The Jeremy & Joe Show on WGR Thursday morning.
“Look, the field—these things aren’t mutually exclusive—like, it was playable, it was safe, (and) it passed inspection. But, you can still change it because you want something better. So, we had the league come in for the Thursday night game (against Pittsburgh). We had an independent inspector come in for that game, as well, (and) we had our grounds crew there. We looked at it pregame. We looked at it postgame. We looked at it the next day, (too).
“And, for the most part, it was performing. It was playable. Obviously, the offense had no problem with that field in those two preseason games, and guys weren’t changing footwear. Like, there weren’t traction issues. But, the divoting thing was something that we wanted to look at and make sure this field was as consistent as (possible).”
With the expected completion date of either Saturday or Sunday, the field will have to wait at least 11 days before it will be fully tested for its regular-season matchup.
It’s unclear at this point if Bills’ first-year head coach Joe Brady will have his players practice in the stadium at all next week or not, but they most likely will err on the side of caution when it comes to mucking up the replaced grass too much.
Replacement sod was previously thought of, but hadn’t been sought out until now
Because, after all, it is the sod’s true shining moment.
According to the recent interview with Guelli on WGR, there’s several “prospects” on tap that are constantly waiting in the wings for a call-up.
Much like in Major League Baseball, but sadly not yet the NFL, there’s a farm system—quite literally—going on with the sod replacements that sit at the facilities in Hammonton, New Jersey, which is roughly a 406-mile drive one way to the new Highmark Stadium’s address on Abbott Road according to Google Maps
“The conversation was about, ‘OK, look—the field’s playable—but can it get better?’ We had also sent our grounds crew out to Tuckahoe (Turf Farms). We had multiple fields on reserve because you anticipate changing it two or three times a year.
“Most teams change it even more. What (the experts) saw out there—they really liked—(and) they also had tested the sod in the south end zone, and the decision was like, ‘Look, we think this is better,’” Guelli continued.
“And, we have three straight home games . . . why not change it now? So, again, we had anticipated it, (but) the timing’s difficult sometimes . . . let’s get ahead of it. These guys are the experts . . . so, we’re gonna’ flip it out.”
Excitement building for official unveiling to 60,000 Bills’ fans
With that all said, Guelli finished by adding the fun fact that fans would be able to vote on the colors of the end zones at the new stadium for the upcoming game versus Detroit.
Bills On SI covered that topic on Thursday evening, and it’s certainly an interesting way to get fans interacting in a positive way amongst each other, which isn’t always the case during football season.
However, be that as it may, that positivity created through polling for a fan-favorite colored end zone could easily turn back into bickering amongst the masses if the field begins breaking up opening night like it had been during the first two preseason games.
Hopefully this new “grass graduate” has better foundational roots.
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