Tag: Broncos Stadium

Broncos replace grass field ahead of Falcons game

The Denver Broncos used a local sod farm to replace the grass on the field at Empower Field at Mile High.

Prior to a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11, the Denver Broncos gave the grass at Empower Field at Mile High a makeover.

The team’s stadium crew got the field replaced within 36 hours after playing the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 27, giving it three weeks to settle in before the Falcons game on Nov. 17.

The grass comes from Platteville, Colorado, which is approximately 45 minutes north of Boulder, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Chris Hathaway, the Broncos director of turf and ground at Empower Field at Mile High, wrote on Twitter/X that the main reason for the replacement is player safety.

The Walton-Penner ownership group famously trucked in a grass field before the 2022 season finale and replaced it again mid-season in 2023.

“[They] just told me,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after practice Wednesday when asked about the grass being replaced. “You would have to ask Greg [Penner]. Meaning, our field has been in good shape. I don’t know what’s taken place since the last one. The one thing I do know is if Greg feels like it’s not to his liking, then he’s not afraid to do it. I literally just found out and [it’s] outstanding.”

The Broncos are one of 15 teams at 30 stadiums across the NFL to use a natural grass playing surface. After hosting Atlanta on Sunday, Denver will have three more home games remaining on their 2024 schedule.

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Broncos won’t host any of the next four Super Bowls (but keep an eye on 2032)

The Broncos won’t host the Super Bowl in 2028 (or the three years before then), but if the team builds a new stadium, who knows?

The Denver Broncos won’t host the Super Bowl in 2028 (or any of the three championship games before then).

The NFL had previously announced the Super Bowl sites for 2025 (New Orleans), 2026 (Santa Clara) and 2027 (Inglewood). Today, the league announced that the 2028 Super Bowl (LXII) will be held in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Because the Broncos play in an outdoor stadium, they probably won’t be seriously considered to host a February Super Bowl anytime soon.

The team’s current lease at Empower Field at Mile High runs through the 2031 season and there has been heavy speculation that Denver’s ownership group will want to eventually build a mega stadium in the coming years.

If the Broncos do build a beautiful new stadium, they would instantly become a top contender to host a future Super Bowl, especially if there’s a roof (which is a hot topic in Broncos Country).

Denver is also interested in hosting a future NFL draft, but the city won’t host in 2025 (Green Bay) or 2026 (Pittsburgh). The next possible draft that could be held in Colorado would be in 2027, two years before the next available Super Bowl.

Unless the Broncos end their lease early, the team seems unlikely to host a Super Bowl before 2032 at the earliest. So potentially hosting a Super Bowl is still quite a few years away from being realistic, but it’s a topic worth monitoring going forward as stadium talks begin to heat up in Denver.

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Will the Broncos build a new stadium? Greg Penner weighs in

“We’re evaluating options for a new stadium potentially and whether that’s on the current site or somewhere else,” Greg Penner said.

The Denver Broncos had a groundbreaking ceremony for a new headquarters and training facility on Thursday.

At the ceremony, Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner was asked if the team considered building an entertainment district around the facility.

”There are a couple of things,” Penner said of the decision to not have entertainment around the practice facility. “One with just the timing, which is, as we talked about, we’re evaluating options for a new stadium potentially and whether that’s on the current site or somewhere else. We weren’t ready to make that decision at this point.

“The second thing is, some teams do have that (an entertainment district around the facility) with mixed results. I think in certain cases there are positives to having both in one location. There’s also something about coming to a place where, this is where we practice, this is our space.

“Sometimes we’ll have fans, as you all know, and partners here, but it’s really about work and practice. I think sometimes if you combine that with more entertainment, there can be some dangers with that.”

Not much of an update on the team’s stadium status, but Penner did confirm the team is “evaluating options.” Denver started surveying fans about the stadium’s future last year, and there’s been speculation that the ownership group could eventually build a mega stadium with an entertainment district around it.

The team’s current lease at Empower Field at Mile High runs through the 2031 season. With eight more years left at the current stadium, Denver’s brass hasn’t rushed into announcing any future plans. That won’t stop fans and media members from asking about it.

“I’ve been getting the stadium questions since Day 1 about two years ago,” team president Damani Leech said Thursday. “We’ll continue to get that. I think the answer is the same one. It’s a pretty long process. We’re still evaluating everything. Everything’s on the table. We’ll continue to explore it and make a decision at a time that makes sense for us.”

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Broncos adding players’ family room to stadium after poor NFLPA grade

The Broncos received a “D+” for family treatment on their NFLPA report card last season, in part because they did not have a family room.

In their NFLPA report card following the 2023 season, the Denver Broncos were given a “D+” grade for their treatment of families.

The biggest complaint players had was that there was no family room at the stadium, something that 20 other NFL teams provide for players on game days.

The Broncos took note of that low grade and they quickly addressed it. Before the team’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, 104.3 The Fan‘s Andrew Mason shared an image of a family room that’s “coming soon” at Empower Field at Mile High:

The graphic says the family room will arrive for the 2024 regular season. The amenities are as follows:

  • Private hospitality space for player and coach families
  • Complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic beverages
  • Comfortable seating and furniture options and Game TVs
  • Dedicated heating and cooling
  • Men’s and women’s restrooms
  • Nursing mother’s suite

That’s quite an upgrade from previously having no family room at the stadium. Another smart move from Denver’s new ownership group.

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Broncos’ upgrades to current stadium don’t impact long-term stadium plans

The Broncos continue to make upgrades to Empower Field at Mile High, but they haven’t ruled out the possibility of a potential new stadium.

The Denver Broncos continue to make upgrades to Empower Field at Mile High. Broncos ownership spent $100 million on upgrades to the stadium last year, including a massive new scoreboard. The upgrades continued this year with a new “Club 1977,” a Stadium Artist Series, new food items, an expanded Ring of Fame Plaza and improved Wi-Fi.

So, does this mean the Broncos are settling in at their current stadium instead of making plans for a new venue down the road?

“No, we really see those as two different things,” team president Damani Leech said Tuesday. “I think what you’re seeing today, what you saw last year, is about this stadium’s immediate fan experience and what we’re focused on. Particularly this season the focus is on this season. Putting the best product on the field, but also giving out fans the best experience.”

Denver’s front office is in no rush to unveil any potential plans for a future mega stadium, but speculation remains such a plan is on deck.

“No real update there,” Leech said when asked about the team’s long-term stadium plan. “No new information. It’s certainly a complicated process, one that’s going to take a long time to figure out. Obviously we have a lease that runs through 2030. So we’re taking our time and doing all the research we can.

“Really, all options are on the table certainly in terms of what the future could hold, but as I said most of our focus right now is on this season, this team and this stadium.”

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Broncos’ stadium upgrades include faster Wi-Fi in 2024

The Broncos made more upgrades to their stadium this year, including nearly doubling Wi-Fi access points around Empower Field at Mile High.

Denver Broncos president Damani Leech welcomed media members to Empower Field at Mile High this week to unveil several upgrades to the team’s stadium ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

The team announced a new “Club 1977,” a new Stadium Artist Series, “about a dozen new food items” and an expanded Ring of Fame Plaza. But wait, there’s more! The Wi-Fi will be faster this fall, too.

“For all of us with our phones, laptops and iPads, on gameday Wi-Fi will be enhanced this year,” Leech said Tuesday. “We’re going from 1,400 to 2,400 access points around the stadium, so your Wi-Fi’s going to be faster on game days during the season this year. Really excited about that.”

The Broncos’ ownership group led by Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner previously made $100 million upgrades to the stadium in 2023.

“From Day 1, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group — particularly Greg as CEO and Carrie — have been just laser-focused on the fan experience and really wanted to deliver upgrades to the fan experience [and] create memories for them on and off the field,” Leech said.

The improved fan experience will include faster Wi-Fi in 2024.

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Broncos’ stadium process is a ‘long-term, complex’ situation

“We’re continuing to evaluate options. It’s a long-term, complex [situation],” Greg Penner said of the Broncos’ stadium options.

The Denver Broncos have not announced plans to build a new stadium, but the club has surveyed fans on potential stadium options going forward.

The Broncos currently play at Empower Field at Mile High, which is only 23 years old, but that hasn’t stopped speculation that Denver might build a brand new stadium in the coming years.

“Stadium — nothing to update there,” Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner said on Jan. 9. “We’re continuing to evaluate options. It’s a long-term, complex question of what we end up doing there. I will say that I was pleased with the impact of the upgrades that we made this last offseason. I think that fans, from the feedback that we got, appreciated it as well.”

Denver’s ownership group has invested $100 million in stadium upgrades (including a massive new scoreboard). Penner saying it’s a “long-term” situation likely indicates nothing is imminent on the stadium front.

The team’s current stadium lease ends in 2031, so the team has no reason to rush an announcement on future plans (even if plans are being formed behind closed doors). Once we draw closer to the end of the Mile High lease, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Broncos announce plans to build a new stadium owned by the team. For now, though, that’s just speculation.

Much like with the team’s uniforms, we’re left to wait for updates.

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Empower Field at Mile High ranked as NFL’s 9th-best stadium

Do the Broncos need a new stadium? The Athletic certainly doesn’t think so! They ranked Empower Field at Mile High 9th-best in the NFL.

Jon Machota and other writers at The Athletic recently ranked all 30 NFL stadiums (the league has 32 teams but two stadiums are shared by a pair of teams).

Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos, is ranked ninth.

“The Broncos’ home since 2001 has held up well,” Machota wrote. “It’s still one of the better stadiums to watch a game. It was voted top five on three ballots.”

Elsewhere in the AFC West, SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Chargers, sharing with the L.A. Rams) is ranked No. 2, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs) is ranked No. 6 and Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas Raiders) is ranked No. 7.

Clearly, the Broncos have fallen behind in the AFC West, both on and off the field. Denver’s new ownership group aims to fix that. The Broncos are spending more than $100 million on stadium renovations this offseason, including a massive new scoreboard.

Eventually, Denver will likely build a brand-new stadium, but Empower Field at Mile High is still considered a top-10 venue in the NFL.

U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota Vikings) is ranked No. 1 on the list. To view the complete rankings of NFL stadiums, visit The Athletic (subscription required for link).

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Broncos considering making renovations to training facility

The Broncos have already started $100 million worth of renovations to the stadium. The team is also considering practice facility upgrades.

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The Denver Broncos have a new naming rights partner in Centura Health for their training facility, and some of the money from that agreement could potentially be used to make upgrades and renovations to the facility.

“As we’ve discussed, we’ve been with ownership, and we’ve looked at several other training facilities around the league,” Broncos president Damani Leech said during a press conference to announce the Centura Health partnership last week.

“We started that process over the course of the fall, and we’ll continue to do that research. Regardless of what happens with this facility — renovations, new build, etc. — it’s going to be the Centura Health Training Center.”

Leech and members of the team’s ownership group visited the facilities of the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

The Broncos have also begun $100 million worth of stadium upgrades at Empower Field at Mile High, with the biggest renovation being a new scoreboard. Now practice facility upgrades are being considered as well.

It’s clear that the team’s new ownership group is willing to spend generously to help improve the franchise.

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Playing a mile above sea level can be an advantage for Sean Payton’s Broncos

The Broncos have the second-best home winning percentage in the NFL over the last 50 years.

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The Denver Broncos love reminding opposing teams that they play a mile above sea level with signs pointing it out at their aptly-named Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.

Playing at such a high elevation against teams that aren’t conditioned for it can give the Broncos an edge, both physically and mentally. New players — and coaches — who joined Denver this offseason will have to adjust to it this summer. Once they are adjusted, the elevation can serve as an advantage.

“All the coaches when we first arrived went up a set of steps, and for two weeks, all of us were looking at each other like, ‘This is nuts,'” Payton recalled during his media session at rookie minicamp earlier this month. “Pretty soon, it goes away. We talk a lot about hydration and getting acclimated. Generally speaking, I’m not an expert on that.

“When [the Saints] traveled here, we spent a lot of time discussing if we should come two days early, or do you come the normal one day early. The experts would say the only way to get acclimated is to come 10 days early. If not, then come as late as possible and make sure you’re hydrating. We’re making sure they understand that. The benefits of being here on a constant basis is this is your baseline. When you do travel to sea level — so many Olympic athletes train at altitude so that there hopefully is a benefit. We talk about it.”

The Broncos have the second-best home win percentage (.684) in the NFL over the last 50 years, only trailing the Pittsburgh Steelers (.714). Playing a mile above sea level is just one of many factors for that impressive home record, but it shouldn’t be overlooked as a genuine advantage.

Every advantage adds up in the NFL, and being accustomed to playing a mile above sea level will be useful for Denver’s nine home games this fall.

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