Long before the crowd files through the gates and long before Josh Allen takes his first snap, Bills players will begin making their way through Highmark Stadium for the first regular-season game in the venue's history.
One player, however, arrives so early that even the team's photo and video crews don't see him walk through the door.
"I get there before anyone else gets there," Bills center Connor McGovern said. "I get there a minimum of four hours before the game."
Ask a dozen Bills players about their pregame routine and you'll get a dozen different answers. Some head straight for breakfast. Others carve out extra time for treatment. Some seek out teammates, while others prefer a few quiet moments before the day begins.
The newly opened Highmark Stadium was designed with those differences in mind.
"We just tried to think of every single thing that we were aware of that our guys use to get ready to go on a game day," Bills general manager Brandon Beane said.
From a dedicated player entrance and family dining hall to an indoor warmup field and expansive recovery facilities, the stadium is designed to support players through every stage of the day, from arrival to preparation to postgame recovery.
"Everything is there. They went above and beyond," Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir said.
While it may seem obvious that a new NFL stadium would be built around the needs of its players, the Bills entered the project from a unique position.
Unlike many NFL franchises, Buffalo's former stadium sat next to the team's everyday football operations. For years, players relied on the resources available at One Bills Drive to prepare their bodies, review game plans and complete much of their pregame routine before making the short walk across the parking lot to the stadium.
The challenge facing the Bills and stadium designers was not simply building a new stadium. It was recreating, and in many cases expanding upon, everything players had grown accustomed to having nearby.
"How do we take what we have at One Bills Drive and make it a one-stop shop at the new stadium?," Beane recalled of the early planning stages.
Beginning Thursday night, players will no longer split their routines between two buildings. From the moment they arrive until long after the final whistle, nearly every aspect of their workday will take place inside Highmark Stadium. Players are already looking forward to this benefit.
"Going straight to the stadium is huge. Especially when it gets cold, your body freezes up when you have to walk across," explained defensive lineman DeWayne Carter. "With everything at the new stadium it just helps me ease into my routine."
Right off the bat, it's clear why Frank Cravotta, the Bills Senior VP of Design, Stadium Operations, refers to Highmark Stadium as a "Football-First" venue. Once players enter their dedicated entrance, they are immediately immersed into the football world.
"It doesn't take long to get the sense that this is special," Cravotta said. "Players can see right when they enter that this is for them."
From the opening steps, players can begin their routine. Straight ahead sits the team dining hall, featuring a full buffet, protein shake stations and seating for players to gather. "I always eat first on game day," McGovern said.
To the right, large windows reveal one of the stadium's signature features: an indoor turf warmup field. A set of stairs complete with LED "716" signage adds a sense of home and leads the players down to a walkway that presents them with several options. Immediately visible is the warmup turf field to their right along with direct access to the training room on their left.
"It's all literally right outside of our locker room," Shakir said.
While Thursday night's home opener will mark the first meaningful game in the new stadium, players have already spent two preseason games learning how the building fits into their routines.
As one of the first-arriving players, McGovern heads through the training room and into the recovery center, a room with a steam room and sauna along with three large pools.
"Once I eat, I go right into the sauna," McGovern said.
A meticulous preparation then leads McGovern into the state-of-the-art turf field for his stretching routine. Much like not having to walk across the parking lot anymore, having a dedicated indoor warmup area is beneficial for players who want their bodies to stay warm and loose before a game.
"I don't really like to go outside as much. I want as little distractions as I can, so now I can just do my full warm up inside. That makes things so much easier," McGovern said.
The warmup field is one of the most impressive feats in the construction of Highmark Stadium. The expansive, climate-controlled area gives Bills players enough space to complete 30-yard passes, line up in a full formation if needed and areas for stretching and mobility work.
"A lot of guys like just moving their bodies around, and now we don't have to walk all the way up to the field. We can use the indoor spot to kind of get your body fired up," Shakir said.
As the space began to come to life during the construction and completion phases, the Bills football staff saw an opportunity to include weight room equipment in a space next to the turf.
"Some guys like to get under a squat rack and just get loose, throw some weights around or get on a bike. So that kind of stuff is over there now," Beane shared.
Other players, like right guard O'Cyrus Torrence and outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, go right to the pools to get their bodies moving. The grand size of the pools were designed to accommodate multiple players at once, with hot, room-temperature and cold water situated side by side.
"They're big enough that you can fit more guys, so you're not waiting around," Hoecht said.
While the pools play a major role in postgame recovery, some players have already incorporated them into their pregame routine. For Shakir, they provide an easy way to stay loose during the long hours leading up to kickoff.
"The hot tub stuff is clutch," Shakir said. "I usually get there a few hours before the game anyways, trying to figure out, 'Oh, what should I do? What can take up my time?' Hopping in that hot tub is a game changer."
Comments like Shakir's illustrate one of the guiding principles behind the player spaces at Highmark Stadium. Not every amenity was designed to solve a specific problem. Some were built to give players more options as they navigate routines that can stretch across four or five hours before kickoff.
The player-centered design extends into the locker room.
In addition to a high-tech lighting system capable of matching the color of the team's uniform combination each week, individual locker stalls feature built-in wireless charging stations tucked beneath helmet displays. The touches may seem small compared to the stadium's larger amenities, but they reflect the same philosophy that guided the rest of the project: anticipating players' needs before they have to think about them.
The locker room serves as the center of activity moments before kickoff. Final game plans are laid out and equipment checks are completed as the players prepare to take the field.
After the game, however, attention quickly shifts back to the spaces surrounding it, win or lose. Following three hours of collisions, cuts and sprints, recovery becomes the next priority. Where heat took center stage in the pregame process, cooling down is paramount.
"As soon as the game's over, I'm taking all the tape off me and submerging myself in the cold tub plunge," McGovern said. "I sit in there for about 10 minutes, go in the sauna for a little bit, and then chill in the cold tub again."
Torrence flips the order for his regimen.
"For me, hot to cold helps my process of healing and recovery," Torrence said. "The hot tub speeds up your sweat; it rushes the blood. Now you get a cold tub, you try to slow it down and push it out. I feel like that's the one-two combo for me."
Hoecht's approach will be a little different Thursday. As he continues working his way back from the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season, the outside linebacker plans to lean heavily on heat therapy.
"These first two weeks I'm avoiding ice because we want tissue to repair and to get used to being out on the field and playing two games, so we don't want to play and then jump in the ice tub immediately afterwards, and you don't get that inflammatory response to heal. But after week two, then I'll start going to the ice tubs after the games," he said.
Beyond the pools, the recovery center connects directly to the locker room and houses a spacious training room, private exam rooms and an IV therapy room. Large interior windows also allow trainers to maintain sightlines into the indoor warmup field, giving them the ability to monitor players and quickly identify anyone who may need treatment or assistance. Together, the spaces allow players to receive treatment, undergo evaluation and begin recovery immediately after a game.
No matter your preference, players will have everything they need immediately after a game to start their recovery for the following week. As the blood and emotions from the game cool, players regroup back upstairs in the dining hall where families await.
The Bills have a family care center right next to the dining hall, promoting a welcoming game day environment for families with children.
"We're all wired to worry about our families, making sure they're happy, safe, having a good time. Things are logistically easier now," Beane said. "It was all thought out… the convenience and the niceness of a close, compact area for their families to convene."
The player-first philosophy also extends beyond the roster itself.
Highmark Stadium includes dedicated locker rooms for female Bills coaches and football staff members, along with a separate locker room for female officials. While such accommodations have become standard across the NFL, Cravotta said the initiative was a priority during the design process.
Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula championed the inclusion of the spaces as plans for the stadium took shape, ensuring women working on game days would have facilities designed specifically for their needs.
"Fortunately, Kim had her health still when we were talking about these things, and it was very important to her and Terry to be forward thinking," Beane shared. "We have a lot more female staff members now than we did five years ago when these talks were going on."
As Highmark Stadium officially hosts its first regular-season game, the Bills' new home is a reflection of the "Football-First" philosophy that shaped its design.
From the moment players, their families and team staff members enter the building, it becomes clear that Highmark Stadium was designed around the people who use it.
For players, the work begins hours before kickoff and continues long after the final whistle. Their routines may look different, but the goal behind the stadium's design remains the same: to support every step of the journey.
