Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are an NFL NFLThe NFL (National Football League) is a U.S. professional American football league of 32 clubs. Founded in 1920 as the APFA and renamed in 1922, it is organized into the AFC and NFC, with the season culminating in the Super Bowl.Open the full entry professional American football team established through an AFL charter franchise awarded to Ralph Wilson in 1959, with play beginning in 1960. They won AFL titles in 1964 and 1965 and reached four consecutive Super Bowls after the 1990–1993 seasons. Their home is Orchard Park, New York, where the new Highmark Stadium opened in 2026.

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Key facts

1959–1960An AFL charter franchise

Ralph Wilson was awarded Buffalo’s AFL franchise on October 28, 1959. The Bills began play with the league in 1960. The franchise award in 1959 and the inaugural playing season in 1960 were separate milestones.⁠[1]

1963–1966Two AFL championships

After tying for the division lead in 1963, Buffalo lost a playoff to the Boston Patriots. Lou Saban’s Bills then defeated the San Diego Chargers in both 1964 and 1965 to win consecutive AFL championships. A loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1966 AFL title game kept Buffalo out of the first Super Bowl.⁠[1]

1973Orchard Park stadium and a rushing milestone

The Bills moved into Rich Stadium in Orchard Park in 1973. That year, running back O.J. Simpson rushed for 2,003 yards in a 14-game regular season, a major playing milestone for the franchise.⁠[1][2]

1980–1986Playoff returns and Levy’s arrival

Under Chuck Knox, Buffalo won the AFC East in 1980 and returned to the playoffs in 1981. Marv Levy became head coach in 1986, preceding the franchise’s sustained run of conference championship contention.⁠[1]

1988–1993Four consecutive Super Bowls

Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith were central figures under Levy. Buffalo won five AFC East titles from 1988 through 1993 and won the AFC championship in each of the 1990–1993 seasons. The Bills reached four consecutive Super Bowls but lost all four.⁠[1][3]

2014The Pegula purchase

Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the Bills in 2014, succeeding Ralph Wilson’s long ownership era. The announcement opening the new stadium in 2026 identifies Terry Pegula as owner and describes his role in its construction and financing.⁠[1][4]

2017–2020Ending the playoff drought and winning the division

The Bills ended a 17-season playoff drought in the 2017 season. On December 19, 2020, they defeated the Denver Broncos Denver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are an NFL professional American football team awarded an AFL charter franchise in 1959 and beginning play in 1960. They play at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, and won Super Bowls XXXII, XXXIII and 50. The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group took over in 2022.Open the full entry to clinch the AFC East, their first division title since 1995.⁠[5]

January 27, 2026Joe Brady promoted to head coach

The Bills agreed to a five-year deal with Joe Brady to become the 21st head coach in franchise history. Brady joined Buffalo as quarterbacks coach in 2022, served as interim offensive coordinator late in the 2023 season and held the full offensive coordinator role in 2024 and 2025.⁠[6]

June 23, 2026New Highmark Stadium ribbon cutting

The Bills held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Highmark Stadium, across the street from the former home. The team listed a capacity of 60,108 and a natural-grass playing surface. President of business operations Pete Guelli confirmed a final cost of just over $2.1 billion; this was the stadium’s construction cost, not the franchise’s valuation.⁠[4]

August 2026First public stadium practice announced

On August 7, the team published access arrangements for the new stadium’s first Return of the Blue & Red practice, scheduled for the next day. This fan event was a separate stage from the June ribbon-cutting ceremony.⁠[7]

Team name and home city

The Buffalo Bills name represents the Buffalo region, but the home stadium is in the town of Orchard Park, New York. The official ticket-office address is One Bills Drive, Orchard Park. The new stadium retained the Highmark Stadium name in 2026, so historical references may concern either the old or new venue.⁠[8][4]

Related organizations, websites and public accounts

Buffalo Bills: Official website: https://www.buffalobills.com/ (opens in a new window) .⁠[9]

Buffalo Bills: X: https://twitter.com/buffalobills (opens in a new window) .⁠[9]

Buffalo Bills: YouTube YouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/user/buffalobillscom/featured (opens in a new window) .⁠[9]

Buffalo Bills: LinkedIn LinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buffalo-bills/ (opens in a new window) .⁠[10]