Broncos Taking Thoughtful Approach To New Stadium Process

Good morning, Broncos Country!

As discussions about the new Denver Broncos stadium move forward, the plans are not rushed.

The Broncos are putting a lot of thought into every aspect of this plan. From where the stadium will be built to the community involvement, the franchise knows how important this decision is to so many people. And it wants to get it right.

Hitting that 2031 timeline will take more than just the Broncos. That’s when the team would like to have the stadium built and ready for games. For now, the preferred site for the new stadium is at Burnham Yard.

“A lot of folks from our team are spending a lot of time meeting with community leaders and city council members,” Broncos CEO Greg Penner said at the NFL league meetings earlier this week. “It’s an ambitious timeline that we have, and we won’t be able to accomplish our goals in terms of timing and getting in there just by ourselves. So it’s not just something that the Broncos are driving. We have to have a lot of support from partners and others that are involved with the site.”

That involvement and support from parties outside the Broncos will drive this stadium plan. Without it, none of this would be possible.

“The support has been good, and everybody wants to do the right thing,” Penner said. “There are a lot of different parties with different interests. As of right now, we are on track. It is ambitious to get to the 2031 goal that we have.”

It’s better to be thoughtful about every step of this massive project than to rush it. You only get one chance.

“I think what’s important is everyone understanding that while 2031 seems like a long way away, these construction projects take multiple years,” Broncos president Damani Leech said at the league meetings. “You have to get prepared with a number of city and community processes that we’re all invested in and engaged in right now.

“We can’t do it alone. It’s going to take a lot of key partners at the city level, at the state level, Denver Water — there are real estate transactions that have to be finalized. So all of those things are important. I think it’s just important everybody understanding the timeline is realistic, but it’s also ambitious.”

As for when Burnham Yard will be the site, rather than the “preferred site,” again, while the 2031 timeline is there, it’s not something Penner and the Broncos want to rush. Last week, the state revealed the purchase price for the land for the Broncos’ new stadium.

“We are getting closer,” Penner said when asked about Burnham Yard. “Some important steps have been taken, but when we change that from ‘preferred site’ to ‘this is the site,’ we will have all of our ducks lined up and be prepared to say that we are formally moving forward with that site. I’m not sure exactly when that is going to be, but hopefully sometime in the coming months.”