Buffalo Bills' New Stadium is 'Waste of Money' Says Former Star WR

A former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver believes the new Highmark Stadium's construction was flawed.

Fans enter Highmark Stadium before the start of the Bills home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov 16, 2025 in Orchard Park. In the background is the new stadium. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Many Buffalo Bills fans have sat in awe as the team’s new stadium is constructed across the street from the current structure, which has been home to the Bills since 1973.

The sheer size and many added amenities featured in the latest iteration of Highmark Stadium have generated a boatload of excitement, with opening day just months away.

With that said, not everyone is a fan of the building, including a former NFL star wide receiver.

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A general view outside the stadium before the game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Hot take

The new stadium is scheduled to open in time for the 2026 campaign and has a 60,000-seat capacity, a heated grass field, and a heated roof designed to withstand the harsh winter weather that sweeps through Western New York each season.

Two of the primary sticking points for those who have been critical since construction began are the cost taxpayers have borne to build the stadium and the fact that it will not be enclosed, unlike many other teams in the process of building their own new facility. Those are the two arguments that former Baltimore Ravens WR Torrey Smith made on Wednesday.

Smith posted his thoughts to X, claiming that the Bills and NY taxpayers have thrown assets down the drain while establishing the new Highmark Stadium across the street from the current building.

“2.1 Billion Dollar Mansion with no roof and HVAC system," read Smith’s post. “I’ll get over the waste of money one day.”

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2.1 Billion Dollar Mansion with no roof and HVAC system.

I'll get over the waste of money one day. https://t.co/H1gKoeKjBT

— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 12, 2026

New footage

Smith’s comments were sparked by the latest footage of the state-of-the-art facility posted by WKBW’s Matt Bové, which displays the stadium from overhead. It appears it is nearly complete, as the video shows that the grass is in place, with the seating area also appearing almost fully established.

“We have no choice but to make sure this building is ready [in July] for the football team and for our fans,” said Bills COO Pete Guelli this past May, per the Democrat and Chronicle.

While Smith may not be a fan of the Bills’ new stadium, there are plenty of Bills fans who are waiting with bated breath for their opportunity to step foot inside the team’s new hallowed grounds. It should be an exciting 2026 season.

Don’t blink, and the Bills’ next trek toward a Super Bowl will be on the doorstep.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) catches the ball in front of New England Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner (39) during the third quarter in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images