A number of NFL teams will move into new venues this decade, with transitioning to better and more modern facilities necessary for their growth and sustainability. As such, their current venues will become distant memories, physically erased from existence. According to respected NFL journalist Kambui Bomani, five teams are expecting to demolish their current homes to make room for their billion-dollar residencies…
1 – Nissan Stadium
The Tennessee Titans’ home venue since 1999 will be demolished once the New Nissan Stadium is built
Since its creation, the Tennessee Titans ‘ Nissan Stadium has held three different names over the past fifteen years, most recently LP Field (2006–2015). The stadium is expected to begin its early demolition phases once the 2026 season concludes to make way for a brand-new venue called New Nissan Stadium.
New Nissan Stadium is expected to cost over $2.1 billion, with the Titans funding $840 million and the public subsidizing $1.2 billion. On record, it would be the largest stadium subsidy in American history.
The new venue will have a 30-year lease, a seating capacity of 60,000 and artificial turf. According to team president and CEO Burke Nihill, the New Nissan Stadium is expected to host Super Bowls and Final Fours and be the home of Nashville’s local college football team, Tennessee State University.
The Titans’ ownership had the option to renovate the team’s current Nissan Stadium, but Nihill resisted it, fearing that taxpayers would be paying millions or even billions of dollars to help finish the renovation project.
“We have for a very long time been trying to find a responsible and sustainable solution to get to the next generation of a stadium for Nashville while doing so in a way that shifts that ultimate burden from the taxpayers and to the team. And we’re delighted that we found a solution.”
The new Nissan Stadium is expected to be completed between 2026 and 2027. Once the construction is finished, it will be fully demolished as part of Nashville’s $1.6 billion East Bank Mixed-Use project.
2 – Soldier Field
The oldest NFL venue will be gone by 2028
Soldier Field has existed since 1924, and over the past 100 years, it’s had a collection of groundbreaking moments as America’s oldest NFL stadium. From being the Chicago Bears ‘ home since 1971 to taking part in a controversial year-long $400 million renovation project that lasted from 2002 to 2003, the venue has been a staple in not just local culture but American sports culture.
Due to its dilapidated state and 2006 loss of historical landmark status, Soldier Field is expected to be demolished as a new indoor lakefront stadium for the Bears begins construction.
The stadium would be a state-of-the-art fixed-roof building along the Chicago lakefront, with a scenic view of the area and skyline. The new facility will be part of the Bears’ Burnham Park Project and will serve as a year-round epicenter for “park-based culture and recreation.”
The park proposal further envisions other elements, such as
- Year-round recreational and community uses.
- Fourteen acres of public athletic fields and recreational park space were made possible by the demolition of Soldier Field.
- A three-acre promenade and plaza area that includes a cultural attraction centered around the history of Soldier Field and general sports.
- A publicly-owned hotel incorporated into the recreational and cultural campus.
Bears executive vice president of stadium development and chief operating officer Karen Murphy had this to say about the upcoming plan:
“We are committing over $2 billion into a public/private partnership that will be transcendent for the city and bring opportunities and positive outcomes to millions of people who both live in Chicago and visit Chicago,”
While Soldier Field will be destroyed when the project is completed, the columns and details from the historical venue will be kept and immersed in the team’s new park campus.
3 – Highmark Stadium
Ever since late owner Ralph Wilson successfully pushed for his Buffalo Bills to have a new venue in Erie County, New York State, Highmark Stadium has been home to the organization since 1973. The franchise has gone through five stadium name changes since its inception and will now have its current home diminished to rubble once the New Highmark Stadium is completed.
As part of the Buffalo Bills’ commitment to staying in Western New York, the team and Erie County agreed to a partnership on the construction of New Highmark Stadium. The Bills are required to stay in their current home until the facility is completed, which is expected to be in 2026.
The project plan also features other elements, such as:
- The Bills will contribute the second-most money to the project at $550 million. The state will contribute $600 million, and the county will contribute $250 million.
- The new facility will be a state-of-the-art open-air stadium with a minimum capacity of 60,000 seats.
- The roof canopy will cover 65% of the seats to protect fans from inclement weather.
- The project will also feature a 65,000-square-foot technology building featuring TV broadcasters and a production center.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz had this to say following the confirmation of the plan.
“The next generation is here and now, and it’s ready to roll with Josh Allen aiming to bring Buffalo a championship in our new, state-of-the-art stadium on this very spot,”
Once the project is finished, Erie County requires the original Highmark Stadium to be demolished. Sources believe that one of the current plans following the stadium’s demolition involves turning the land plot into a parking lot.
4 – Northwest Stadium
The Washington Commanders newly named stadium is expected to be destroyed by 2030
For the past 25 years, the Washington Commanders have called Landover, Maryland, home, residing at the formerly known FedEx Field. The building underwent a recent name change to Northwest Stadium this year, and its existence is being further threatened as the franchise prepares to relocate back to the nation’s capital.
Commanders’ owner Josh Harris expects the team to find a new stadium by 2030. He hopes it will be where the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium once stood following the historical venue’s demolition. Since the federal government owns the land plot where RFK Stadium once stood, it’ll likely take congressional authorization to conduct a construction project on the site.
Northwest Stadium is an outdated facility with various issues, including water pressure and the 2022 collapsed railing that occurred at the end of a late September home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Owner Josh Harris has invested $40 million to improve the game day experience of Northwest Stadium, but it’s hard to see the aging building avoiding its own demolition project once the team leaves town.
5 – Cleveland Browns Stadium
Browns Stadium’s aging foundation isn’t a viable long-term solution
Cleveland Browns ‘ owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, have been at war with local and regional government officials about investing half of their taxpayer dollars into either a $1 billion Cleveland Browns Stadium renovation project or a new $2.4 billion domed stadium project in the suburb of Brook Park. With the 2028 Cleveland Browns Stadium lease almost up, time is of the essence.
As of now, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibbs has offered to front only $461 million for the stadium renovation project as part of a 30-year lease extension. However, it doesn’t adjust for inflation during the extension period, or provide the even split Browns’ ownership desires.
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronyane said the Haslams requested up to $600 million for the Brook Park domed stadium plan. Half the money came from bond issuances, which Ronyane felt placed a heavy burden on their taxpayers and the entire county.
