ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills will continue holding training camp at St. John Fisher University through 2028 after signing a three-year extension with the school on Thursday.
The new deal means the Bills will remain as one of the NFL’s few holdovers from the past in holding camp outside of their home facility. Last year, Buffalo was one of only six NFL teams to travel for camp, which is down from 22 who did so in 2001.
The Bills have held
camp at the school in suburban Rochester, New York, since 2000 with the exception of 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Before that, they held camp in Fredonia, New York, a half-hour drive south of Buffalo.
The move to Rochester was prompted by the team’s desire to expand its regional footprint in a bid to attract more fans and business partnerships. Rochester is centrally located between Buffalo and Syracuse, and was or remains home to Kodak, Bausch + Lomb, Xerox and Paychex.
The extension comes as the Bills prepare to move into their new stadium next season. The $2.1 billion facility is being built across the street from their current home.
Coach Sean McDermott has favored opening camp away from home by saying it provides the team a bonding experience, with players and staff spending three weeks together rooming in one of the school’s dorms.
St. John Fisher, a Division III school, has benefitted from the agreement, having built up its campus and athletic facilities since it began hosting the Bills. This summer, the school received the added bonus of serving as the backdrop when the Bills were featured on HBO’s five-week series of Hard Knocks.
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