Art Rooney II has spent a lifetime around football, stadiums and intensely loyal fans. The third-generation owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rooney is also a member of the National Football League’s stadium committee.
That positions him in a place of particular interest to Buffalo Bills fans. The team wants to build a projected $1.4 billion stadium across the street from its current home in Orchard Park, and representatives of team owners Terry and Kim Pegula are negotiating a funding deal with New York and Erie County. Rooney and the other owners and executives who are part of the stadium committee receive updates and provide assistance on key matters such as financing.
But time is getting short. The Bills had wanted a deal in place by Dec. 31, which team officials said would allow for a 2026 opening of a new stadium. Now, the sides are pushing to finalize a deal by the end of March, which coincides with both the NFL league meetings – where owners would presumably approve an agreement – and the New York State budget deadline.
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All of this is happening as the Bills near the conclusion of their lease at Highmark Stadium, which itself is reaching the end of its lifespan. Bills officials have said they won’t extend the lease, which expires in July 2023, without a deal in place, and an engineering report commissioned by Erie County makes clear that Highmark will need significant repairs in the next five or six years.
“I think Buffalo can do this,” said Rooney, a former chairman of the stadium committee. “I think it can be successful.”
Rooney spoke to The News last week about the urgency of a deal, the NFL’s potential role in helping finance an agreement and what it will take to keep Buffalo viable as a small market. Here’s the conversation, edited for space and clarity:
Do you view the Bills’ stadium negotiations with a sense of urgency?
Rooney: Absolutely, absolutely … There's not much time on the lease, so you've got that, and then you've got the condition of the stadium. So we're definitely talking about a short-term situation here, and I definitely think urgency is the right word to describe where they are right now.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has said her ultimate time frame is getting the deal locked in time for the New York State budget, which is due April 1. Are you comfortable with that time frame?
Rooney: Well, look, I think that it needs to be at a point where it can be part of the budget by April 1. But I think there's work to be done between now and then, as I understand it now. I'm not part of daily or weekly discussions between the Bills and the state, the governor's office, so it's not as though I'm receiving weekly updates on this right now. But they do need to get to a point where there's a solid enough deal that everybody's comfortable going ahead with it presented as part of the budget.
In what ways does the league or the stadium committee play a role in advising the Pegulas?
Rooney: Number one, certainly, is helping to shape the financing structure, not just with the league funding, but really the entire package of funding pieces that go into these things, and whether there are seat licenses or how the private money is coming in. Those are considerations that are looked at, and making sure that it qualifies for the consideration we get from the players in terms of some of the money not counting as revenue until later down the line. There are components like that, that this deal will have to fit into. As I understand it today, we're not going to be looking at anything that's, let's say, completely nontraditional.
You know the Buffalo market well. How big a leap do you see personal seat licenses being here?
Rooney: Obviously, Buffalo is a small market, but the Bills have a great, great fan base. Tremendous fans. It so happens we played up there this year for the opening game of the season, and it really was a remarkable scene. They have great support from that community in terms of the fans. When you look at Western New York, it's a viable market. I don't think there's any reason to think that this can't be done and that it can't be successful.
What are the keys to keeping the Buffalo market viable over the next 20-30 years?
Rooney: They have to do a good job marketing not just in the local market, but in the regional market, so to speak. There are some great communities there that have supported the Bills for many years now, and then they also have the fan base across the border there in Canada… They have to continue to try to capitalize on attracting fans from those areas.
How does the Bills’ strong TV performance fit into the NFL’s overall model of revenue generation?
Rooney: You always start with, No. 1, having a competitive team. They have had that, more often than not, let's say, and have had some great teams over the years. They have a great history, a great tradition … really a strong, enthusiastic fan base. I think all of those fit into a team that can be successful and a team that is an attractive television participant. There's a lot to be said for getting this done and, as we've been saying, obviously, keeping the Bills viable in Buffalo. I think getting the stadium done is critical at this point.
Gov. Hochul has said the notion that other cities want the Bills sometimes keeps her up at night. Should Buffalo fans be up at night?
Rooney: We are hopeful that this gets done, and we're not really interested in having, let’s say, regular relocations. That's one of the reasons why the league established the G-3, G-4 (stadium financing) programs to try and assist teams in making sure that the teams could stay in their local markets. I can't say it's something that people should be losing sleep over, at this point. I think we all know that there are cities out there that would love to have a team if the opportunity arose. But the good news, in this case, it looks like this is coming together in a way that hopefully the Bills fans will not have to worry about that.
