The Denver Broncos new stadium is coming soon.

At least, likely by the 2031 season at the latest.

That’s when the lease on the land where Empower Field at Mile High Stadium sits runs out. And team co-owner and CEO Greg Penner discussed the new stadium’s proposed location at the owner meetings recently.

Denver Broncos new stadium could be in Aurora, will be in the metro area somewhere

The Denver Broncos have always played, more or less, in the same spot in downtown Denver.

Originally, Bears Stadium was their home. The AAA baseball stadium was slowly built up and eventually renamed Mile High Stadium in 1968. The Broncos played there until 2001, moving just next door to new Mile High, which was built on the remains of the Nuggets’ McNichols Stadium.

So, for the Broncos to play anywhere else in town would certainly be a shift.

But the Denver Broncos new stadium could be in Denver somewhere, or in neighboring suburbs like Aurora or Lone Tree.

That, per Greg Penner at the NFL owner meetings.

“We want to create what’s the best option for the next 40 or 50 years, not 10 or 20 years,” Penner explained.

“We’re still looking at the current site, other sites around Denver, Lone Tree, Aurora,” he continued.

Lone Tree, which is 20 miles south of downtown Denver or a 30-minute drive with no traffic, was the first new site to be mentioned by the team. For Broncos ownership, Lone Tree likely makes sense because it’s one of the city’s newest suburbs and there’s still plenty of land to gobble up and plop a stadium onto.

Now, the team has included Aurora, which is seemingly closer to downtown Denver. But if Penner and Co. mean east of Aurora, like out where Denver International Airport is, that’s also far away from the city’s center. One advantage for teams would be an easy trip back to the airport, at least.

A new location means new infrastructure will be needed

If the Denver Broncos new stadium was located where they’ve always played, it would give fans easy access to highways, restaurants, bars, and more.

The downside for the Waltons and Penner is the city owns the land where Empower Field at Mile High Stadium sits. So, the Broncos would have to perpetually pay the city to lease the land if they stayed there.

Instead, the WalMart owners are likely to buy their own land and rake in all the profits.

If they do choose Lone Tree as the new location, there will need to be more infrastructure put in place. Yes, the town sits at basically the intersection of C470 and I-25, but there will need to be more roads put in place locally. Exits off the highways specifically for the stadium, along with massive parking lots or parking structures. Beyond that, they would need to develop the land into a fun area with restaurants, bars, outdoor areas etc.

Similar to what Stan Kroenke is doing with the River Mile surrounding Ball Arena, near New Mile High. The new district will expand downtown by 40% and be a mixed-use home for art, entertainment, and residential buildings.

So, it’s certainly possible for the Broncos owners to create their own district. And it’s even possible Kroenke’s design is a prototype for the Broncos own version. Remember, Kroenke and the Waltons are in-laws.

If they selected Aurora, and went with, say, Green Valley Ranch, it would be much the same in terms of developing infrastructure way out there.

Interestingly, but maybe not shockingly, fans are upset with the idea of the team being located in Aurora. They are the “Denver” Broncos, after all. The same fans didn’t seem as upset with Lone Tree as a possible new location. Maybe it’s partly due to all the negative press Aurora has seen in the national news in recent years, or established bias by Coloradans.

For now, we all are in “wait and see” mode, but the Denver Broncos new stadium will be coming sooner rather than later.