Billionaire Jeremy Jacobs Steps Up: $200M Gift to Bring a Roof for Bills Mafia

Buffalo, NY, August 2025 - In Buffalo, football is more than a game — it’s a way of life. For decades, Bills Mafia has braved snow, wind, and bitter cold at Highmark Stadium, wearing frozen smiles and hearts on fire. But now, their voices are being heard in the most powerful way yet.

Jeremy Jacobs, billionaire businessman and lifelong son of Western New York, has pledged $200 million to help fund the addition of a retractable roof for the New Highmark Stadium — a gesture born not from business strategy, but from loyalty. “I’m one of them,” Jacobs said simply. “I’m part of Bills Mafia, and this city deserves a home worthy of its passion.”

The new stadium, already under construction in Orchard Park, is set to open for the 2026 NFL season. Designed by Populous, it will seat 62,000 fans with stacked tiers for intimacy, iconic curved walls, and sightlines that bring spectators closer than ever to the field.

Initially projected at $1.4–1.7 billion, surging costs have pushed the total to $2.2 billion. Groundbreaking took place on June 5, 2023, excavation wrapped in early 2024, and a steel topping-off ceremony marked progress on April 4, 2025. The Bills organization remains responsible for cost overruns — and with NFL financing limits already stretched, Jacobs’ $200 million commitment isn’t just symbolic, it’s essential.

Jacobs, whose Delaware North empire spans the globe, never forgot his roots in Buffalo. By stepping forward now, he answered not only the financial challenge but also the emotional call of the fans. For years, Bills Mafia has chanted, begged, and dreamed of protection from the elements — not to soften their spirit, but to keep the roar alive when January storms hit.

“This isn’t about me,” Jacobs said. “It’s about giving these fans what they’ve earned a thousand times over. They stand in blizzards for this team. They deserve to feel the roar of 62,000 without worrying about frostbite. I know what it’s like to sit in that cold with no roof overhead — the joy is real, but the suffering is too. This is for them.”

For Bills Mafia, Jacobs’ gift is more than money. It’s validation. It’s proof that the loyalty of a city, shouted in freezing winds and painted on faces in blue and red, can shape the very structure of the franchise they love.