Do the Buffalo Bills have a brewing season-ticket problem?

The Buffalo Bills routinely boast a healthy season-ticket base, with current figures putting membership at 63,000. In the team’s current stadium, seating capacity is a robust 71,608. But time in their current home is coming to a swift close, with the new Highmark Stadium set to open across the street in time for the 2026 NFL season.

Per Michael Petro of The Buffalo News, only 50,000 seats will be allocated for season-ticket holders in the new stadium. Petro mentions that current Bills season-ticket holders “will be contacted this summer” to discuss what will for sure be a difficult situation for many involved.

The new stadium will have just 60,000 seats total. That means that not only will there be less available season tickets (50,000 in new home, while there are 63,000 current holders), but the current figure of 13,000 season-ticket holders will have to be added to a waiting list and/or fight it out with non-season ticket holders looking to buy single-game seats.

One need only consider the law of supply and demand to see how this situation could grow into a significant issue for Bills Mafia. Less available seats means less room for fans, likely raising the cost of each seat — in addition to Personal Seat License (PSL) cost considerations — if demand remains steady at minimum.

Of course, it’s possible that some fans will find the PSL costs too burdensome, and give up their seat options in the Bills’ new home. If true, that could offset what’s currently set to be 3,000 season-ticket holders (and single-game ticket buyers) left out in the cold.

Mike Florio of NBC Sports Pro Football Talk notes that “The Bills have previously committed to having the lowest PSLs of any new stadium built since 2009, with the goal of not pricing fans out of the market.” In a 2022 survey previously sent out to season-ticket holders, PSL prices at the team’s forthcoming stadium were suggested to begin at $500, topping out at $16,500.

Whatever the reasons are behind a significant reduction in seating capacity, it’s certain to remain a topic of much debate now and in the future for the new Highmark Stadium.