ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills say they had more than a dozen interested parties that wanted their name on the stadium, and four to six strong conversations with national, regional, and local partners.

"We had offers well in excess of what our deal is with Highmark. It was finding the right community partner,” said Ron Raccuia, Pegula Sports and Entertainment executive vice president.

The full name will be Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Stadium — Highmark Stadium for short.

Blue Cross Blue Shield, which recently affiliated with the Pittsburgh-based Highmark, has been a prominent health insurer in Western and Northeastern New York for decades, and has previously partnered with PSE on a smaller scale.

"They're the right fit for all of us. Health and wellness obviously is key,” said Raccuia. “COVID is just one example of that. We feel like we can build a lot along a lot of the community programs we've done with them on the Sabres side. They we're clearly our top choice."

Raccuia also addressed the team's ongoing research into whether to build a new stadium in the region.

"A couple of years ago we did a study. That study was completed. We went back to that study recently, over the last 12 to 18 months because of COVID, because of some changing economics throughout the country, the league, etc., we have since completed let's call the revised study and we are really looking forward to sharing that with our partners at the state and the county,” said Raccuia.

Highmark says the potential for the Bills to move to a new stadium down the road was a part, not the only part, of the conversations into the naming rights. The company says at that continues it would like to be involved."

"We want to be engaged. Now obviously we're not the decision makers and Pegula Sports Entertainment will determine that along with the local municipalities, but we want to be in that conversation to say how it can be utilized as a community asset,” said Dave Anderson, Highmark Western and Northeastern NY CEO.

The team says it’s practice not to release details of sponsorship deals, so the term and amount of money Highmark is paying for the naming rights is unclear.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, however, says the deal would have to expire by July 2023 when the current stadium lease expires.

"They have the right to name it as long as it doesn't bring any kind of shame to the community. As we've seen with regards to the New Era problems and some of the things that have resulted, I've had my personal favorite, which would have been Erie County Veterans Stadium, but the team does have the right to name the stadium as it is through the remainder of this lease. What happens afterwards will all be subject to the future negotiation that the county has with the Buffalo Bills and New York State,” Poloncarz (D) said.

"We addressed every contingency in this naming rights deal, so the existing stadium, a renovated stadium, nothing happening, a new stadium, it's all addressed in this naming rights deal,” said Raccuia.

Highmark says it wants to be more than a name on the side of the stadium — partnering with the team to bring more team and community events to the facilities throughout the year.

It also says the sponsorship costs by regulation cannot impact insurance premiums.