The Falcons gave reproters a tour of their new construction site yesterday, and were confident their new stadium would be complete well before the start of the 2017 season.
According to Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Falcons president Rich McKay said they were “pretty confident” that Mercedes-Benz Stadium would be finished by the June 1, 2017 target date.
“June 1 is a good date for us,” McKay said. “We’re working pretty confidently towards that date, and we feel very good about it. I would say that we’ve really picked up the pace on steel. You see the steel going up. We’re in a pretty good place.”
The original target date was March 1, 2017, but that was pushed back because of issues with the steel structures that will support the retractable roof and the video boards.
The hope is that owner Arthur Blank’s MLS team, Atlanta United, will be able to open the building. But McKay hinted at some other options as well.
“I’m not sure we know yet,” McKay said. “There is a very good chance Atlanta United opens the stadium and has the first event. That’s probably what we think at this point in time. But, . . . there are a couple of out-of-the-box ideas that have been brought to us that are really cool and would be neat for Atlanta and for a world-wide stage. “
But he was more certain that none of the delays would impact the Falcons, saying: “No, I do not.”
Getting the stadium was a key move for Blank and the Falcons, if only because it gave them the hook they needed for a Super Bowl bid.
