From Combine to Draft, A Reminder of What Buffalo Gave Up

by Pat Freeman, The Mighty O’Ba

The new year for the NFL officially begins on March 11, 2026, at 4PM. This initiates free agency and the trading period. The scouting combine starts on February 26- March 1 in Indianapolis Indiana. This year’s draft will take place in Pitts burgh Pennsylvania April 23-25, displaying the out standing Pennsylvania city’s waterfront development. It is funny how Pittsburgh and Cleve land embraced modern waterfront development, and Buffalo, New York rejected it by building their new stadium in the Southtowns, which continues to be an idea that will hurt Buffalo.

The failure of this region to put the new stadium downtown is being felt today, with the constant closing of businesses that lack the foot traffic to remain open. It is shameful when the potential of this area, which keeps extending its park footprint but lacks the economic impact to fund all these natural ventures. Unfortunately, this region will regret building a 2.2-billion-dollar stadium that was not built in partnership with the needs of the region. This area needed a multi-use domed stadium in down town Buffalo that would stimulate a lagging economy. Instead of fighting for this we capitulated an owner that only looked out for his own interest.

This is the playbook of the NFL owners club that has hurt regions that lacked the foresight to look beyond a team’s use of a facility. The regions that have multi-use stadiums are doing quite well. The question for this administration is how can you implement a plan that will increase the patronage of down town Buffalo? In the words of Captain Kirk “There are always possibilities.”