Jerry Jones’ involvement in the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium project is official.
The Bills announced Tuesday they have hired Legends, a consulting and hospitality company founded in 2008 by Jones, the Dallas Cowboys’ owner, and George Steinbrenner, the late New York Yankees’ owner, to lead planning, project management, sales and partnerships, including naming rights, for the team’s new stadium in Orchard Park.
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, which has the naming rights for the team’s current venue, maintains the right of first refusal for naming rights at the new stadium, which is expected to open in 2026.
Whether Legends handles concessions, which are currently provided by Buffalo-based Delaware North, has yet to be determined, Pegula Sports and Entertainment executive vice president Ron Raccuia told The Buffalo News.
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“As we continue toward our goal of constructing a new stadium for our team, our fans and the Western New York community, having the right partners in place is critical to our success,” Raccuia said in a news release. “As we have seen in recent years at SoFi Stadium and Allegiant Stadium, the team at Legends brings an incredible level of expertise, success and understanding around NFL stadium development as well as sales and partnerships. We are proud to partner and get to work with them on our new stadium project.”
Financing for the $1.4 billion stadium project, which includes at least $550 million in private equity and $850 million in upfront public money, has been approved by the National Football League and New York State legislature. It is pending the approval of Erie County lawmakers.
All paperwork must be completed by Sept. 1, according to the memorandum of understanding between the team, state and county.
Legends has been involved in the Bills’ stadium project for the past year.
It has worked with PSE, the Bills’ parent company, on a feasibility study and has more recently conducted focus groups and surveys to help inform stadium design and sales, which include personal seat licenses.
The Bills plan to help fund the private portion of stadium construction by selling approximately 50,000 PSLs to all season ticket holders. The least expensive are expected to begin around $1,000 apiece.
Legends also handles the Bills’ e-commerce.
The company has provided its services for several new high-profile venues, including the Los Angeles Rams’ and Chargers’ SoFi Stadium, the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, Hollywood Park’s YouTube Theater, Los Angeles Football Club’s Banc of California Stadium and the Columbus Crew’s Lower.com Field. It also operates concessions and merchandise sales at the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium and Yankee Stadium, along with numerous other pro and college sports and entertainment venues.
“Legends is proud to partner with the Buffalo Bills and Pegula Sports and Entertainment to apply our data-intelligence fueled 360-degree service solution to bring their fans a new, modern stadium that will dramatically enhance the game day experience,” Legends CEO Shervin Mirhashemi said in the release. “Our seasoned execution team will apply their vast experience and institutional knowledge working with NFL teams on project development, sales campaigns, PSL programs, naming rights and founding partner engagements to deliver a stadium that is unique to Buffalo.”
