Bills LB Joe Andreessen on playing in new stadium: ‘It’s going to be super cool’

The Buffalo Bills will play in a new stadium this fall, and linebacker Joe Andreessen is ready to be a part of history. On3 spoke to Andreesseen earlier this year and asked him about being a member of the first Bills team to play in New Highmark Stadium.

“It’s going to be super cool,” Joe Andreesseen said. “So this past year was very special, just kind of being the last season at Highmark Stadium, and all the games were super special. The last one there against the Jets, sold out crowd, people were going crazy for a game that didn’t mean too much in the whole scheme of things. And I think that just shows the community and environment of Buffalo and how much the Bills mean to the people here.”

Andreessen continued, “So going into this new stadium, I think it’s going to be kind of on par with that, just a little different vibe, just being in the new stadium. I’m excited to see it too. I think one of the things I’m most excited about is they got the heated grass on there. In the old Highmark Stadium, that turf gets icy and cold, and you hit that ground, and it hurts a lot, so excited for that. And just excited to break it in, and hopefully we can put some pretty good games together in there.”

More on the Bills’ new stadium

The Bills broke ground on New Highmark Stadium in 2023, and it is expected to open this June. They previously played in the old Highmark Stadium from 1973 to 2025. During that time, the stadium had multiple names, including Rich Stadium (1973-1997) and Ralph Wilson Stadium (1998-2015).

Highmark Stadium will have 60,000 seats, and the roof canopy will cover 64 percent of the fans. Another feature that stands out is that the fans will be closer to the action, as the last row on the west sideline is 54 feet closer to the field than the previous stadium.

This means that fans will get a better look at Andreessen and the rest of the Bills as they look to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl. When the 2026 season starts, Joe Brady will make his debut as the team’s head coach. Brady, who has been on the Bills’ coaching staff since 2022, was promoted to head coach in January after Sean McDermott was let go.