Many of the NFL's current stadiums were built around 30 years ago, therefore the leases on those stadiums have expired. This will cause a wave of new NFL stadiums to be built in the next 5 years, so here are the 6 NFL stadiums that will be built in the near future:
The Buffalo Bills' new Highmark Stadium:
Opening in 2026
Unlike the other stadiums on this list, the Bills' updated rendition of Highmark Stadium will remain open air, in order to retain the home-field advantage and atmosphere that the Bills create with the frigid temperature. However, the new stadium is enclosed on all sides and features a canopy that covers 65% percent of the seats. This canopy not only blocks inclement weather but also helps project crown noise toward the field, making it one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. It will additionally feature radiant heating to combat the bitter cold of the later months of the season.
From a design perspective, it's certainly refreshing to see a new stadium design that is open-air and doesn't try to do too much. The new Highmark is generally a solid design, finding a middle ground between going overboard and being too dull and simplistic.
The Tennessee Titans' New Nissan Stadium:
Opening in 2027
The Titans' new Nissan Stadium will be the teams' first new stadium since moving to Nashville in 1999. While the current Titans' stadium isn't in as bad shape as other stadiums, it does lack many luxuries that newer stadiums have. The new Nissan Stadium will feature a translucent roof, which most of the Stadiums on this list have; a clear trend with new NFL stadiums. The roof will also allow the venue to potentially host a Super Bowl in the near future.
From the outside, this stadium more closely resembles an ultra-modern mansion rather than a football stadium, but it does make it unique compared to other NFL stadiums. The new stadium also has different seating than its predecessor, with most seats being closer to the field than the current Nissan Stadium, and the new stadium containing one of the smallest seating capacities in the NFL, at just 60,000.
The Chicago Bears' New stadium:
Opening in 2028
This stadium has yet to be approved by the city of Chicago, and construction has not yet taken place. But it's easy to see why the Bears are craving a new stadium, as the current Soldier Field is considered one of the NFL's worst stadiums, thanks to its odd seating layout and subpar turf conditions. The new Bears stadium will be placed adjacent to the current one, with the existing Soldier Field being demolished and repurposed into 14 acres of athletic fields.
The new Bears stadium will hop on the bandwagon of translucent roofs, as the current rendering resembles the Raiders' Allegiant Stadium or the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. The exterior design of the stadium is rather generic and cookie-cutter, as the Bears merely building a circle with a translucent roof on top won't set themselves apart from the many other new stadiums with translucent roofs. But hopefully, the Bears can at least modify the design as it travels through the approval process.
The Jacksonville Jaguars' major stadium renovations:
Opening in 2028
While the Jaguars are not building a new stadium, their renovations to the current one are less of renovations and closer to a rebuild. Not only will they add a roof to EverBank Field, but the stadium's leaky pipes, electrical problems, and plumbing issues will all be fixed. The current EverBank Field has seen better days, and the team essentially threa0tened the city of Jacksonville to move to London if they didn't receive the funds to renovate.
Due to the lengthy amount of time this project will take, the Jags will have to play somewhere else for a season while construction takes place. Based on the renderings, the improved stadium looks relatively solid. There's a clear improvement from the previous stadium, though there are still much better-looking stadiums in the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs' new stadium:
Opening in TBD
The Chiefs' new stadium, likely opening in 2030, will feature two major aspects that differ from the current Arrowhead Stadium. Firstly, the new stadium will be located on the Kansas side of Kansas City, rather than the Missouri portion. And secondly, the new Arrowhead Stadium will unfortunately be domed. The Chiefs' ownership has wanted a domed stadium for many years, but adding a dome to the current stadium was simply too costly.
Arrowhead is one of the NFL's oldest stadiums, and it's shameful seeing the stadium and its intimidating atmosphere created by the frigid winter temperature and deafening crowd disappear with a new domed stadium. To add salt to the wound, the renderings of the new Arrowhead Stadium look rather underwhelming and generic, appearing to be "just another domed stadium".
The Browns' Huntington Bank Field:
Opening in 2029
Similarly to the Chiefs' new stadium, the Browns' new stadium will have a somewhat different location, with that location being Brook Park, a suburb of Cleveland. The design of Huntington Bank Field based on the current renderings is a bit unconventional, to say the least. I don't think there is a single curve in this entire stadium. The closest current NFL stadiums that even slightly resemble this design are U.S. Bank Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
However, Huntington Bank Field does have a leg up over the Bears and Chiefs' new stadiums, for finding a unique way to make a domed stadium. And Cleveland's main case for getting a domed stadium is the harsh weather conditions that occur when a stadium is located next to a lake in one of America's windiest cities, making life quite miserable for kickers. Even if the Browns' new stadium design is questionable, their previous problems caused by being outdoors will disappear.
The Carolina Panthers' new Stadium?
Opening in 2032?
There's very little information about the Panthers' potential new stadium and said stadium will open no earlier than 2032. There are also no official renderings of the new stadium. However, we do know that the Panthers' new stadium will be the first to be built after the previous stadiums on this list. This is especially apparent since the current Bank of America Stadium is in very poor shape, and ranks as one of the NFL's worst stadiums.
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