Roger Goodell Speaks About Bills New Stadium and Buffalo Fans

The National Football League is getting set for Super Bowl 56, which will be played this Sunday evening, between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams.

Every year, the NFL's commissioner, Roger Goodell, speaks to members of the media about the topics and issues at hand across the league. The media members are from many markets in the United States, and across the world.

Goodell announced that four total regular season games would be played in Germany, over the next four years; two in Munich and two in Frankfurt. It's the NFL's first time playing regular season games in Germany.

Goodell spoke about the Washington Commanders' legal situation, the racial imbalance when hiring head coaches and front office personnel, and touched on the Buffalo Bills potential new stadium situation, which has been a hot topic in Western New York, ever since reports came out about a new stadium coming at some point last summer.

The AP reported back in late August that the Bills proposed a 60,000, open-air stadium by 2027, which would cost $1.4 billion. That stadium would be in Orchard Park, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said a few weeks back that they would support an Orchard Park location.

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However, the negotiations are ongoing between the Bills, the NFL, Erie County, and New York State.

Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News asked Goodell at the Super Bowl press conference about an update on the Bills stadium negotiations, and Goodell stressed the fact that the Bills do indeed need a new stadium.

He said he was not disappointed in how the timeline has gone, for negotiations, and that he wants to give the fans in Buffalo, "what they deserve."

Goodell also said this has to be a public-private venture, meaning taxpayer dollars will in all likelihood, pay a large portion of the new stadium costs.

Goodell said he has been encouraged with the progress made.

The stadium lease for Highmark Stadium in Erie County ends in July of 2023, so that lease would likely need to be extended, before a new stadium is ready to play in.

Highmark Stadium's lifespan is nearing its end, and Goodell said during his press conference that's also a driving force in needing to get a new stadium deal done for Western New York.