Cornerback Corey Graham is back in familiar territory, and he couldn't be happier.
That's until he sees the bill from his first home game at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Graham, who signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Buffalo Bills last week, told Howard Simon of WGR 550 Tuesday he's receiving lots of praise from friends and family for his return home to Western New York. According to him, however, the next request he's expecting is for a chance to see him in action firsthand.
"A lot of them haven't asked for tickets yet, they've just congratulated me. But I'm pretty sure that's their way, like their introduction, to letting me know that they want to come to games and they're happy I'm here," Graham said. "I can only imagine.
"Honestly, I think I'll definitely get at least over a hundred or two requests, but there's no way I'm going to do that. I'm pretty sure a couple hundred people are going to asking for tickets somehow."
The 28-year-old shouldn't have too much trouble scooping up some available seating, regardless of how many he decides to purchase. Home attendance was around 7,000 less than the stadium's capacity on average in 2013, according to ESPN.com, and the team faced multiple blackout scares throughout the season (though only one game was actually blacked out).
The team announced a variable pricing system for the upcoming year, which will modify ticket prices depending on the opponent. The team raised season-ticket prices for 2014, however, calling the move a "modest" hike. The increase is the first since 2010.
Perhaps Graham's fond memories of his own time at the Ralph as a youngster, which he shared with Simon, will encourage him to open his wallet a little wider.
“I went to a lot of games,” said Graham. “I used to go to games all the time. I would say we would probably go to four home games a season. I enjoyed watching the team and it was my way of getting away. That’s how I got into football. So I really enjoyed it. I was a big time Buffalo Bills fan and my whole family are Bills fans so to them this is like the icing on the cake to have me coming to play for Buffalo.”
