Friends who used Ryan Fitzpatrick’s season tickets gave the new Highmark Stadium “absolutely unbelievable” reviews after Buffalo’s first preseason game and open practices, he said.
Their feedback pushed back on early online criticism over obstructed views, sightlines and the grass surface at the Bills’ new $2.2 billion home in Orchard Park.
Fitzpatrick said the 60,000-seat venue’s 10,000-seat reduction from the old stadium could help Buffalo by making opponents feel more squeezed, with canopy design expected to trap noise.
Field concerns remain mixed ahead of the Sept. 17 home opener against Detroit: one anonymous Bills player told The Athletic the grass was poor, while linebacker Dorian Williams said it looked good and was preferable to turf.
Sept. 17 will also give Fitzpatrick his first full look at the finished stadium, when he returns to Buffalo with Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football crew.