Former Bills Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson working to bring arena football team to Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — There could soon be a second pro football team in Buffalo.

Former Bills Stevie Johnson and Fred Jackson are teaming up to potentially bring indoor arena football back to Buffalo.

The team would be in the Indoor Football League and be called the Destroyers, a nod to the old Arena Football League team that took up residence at what is now known as KeyBank Center.

Johnson, who played for the Bills from 2008-2013, told WIVB News 4 that he has bought the rights and trademarks for the name Destroyers. The league has requested nearly $2 million to enter the league in 2026, and they said they already have nearly enough to do so in just a few days of talking to potential investors.

Jackson, a prospective majority owner of the franchise, is an IFL Hall of Famer. He played for the Bills from 2006-2014.

The former Buffalo Destroyers spent 1999-2003 playing in downtown Buffalo before relocating to Columbus, Ohio due to struggles co-existing with the Bills. Arena football briefly returned to Buffalo in 2017 with the Buffalo Blitz playing at Buffalo RiverWorks for one year. That came after the franchise spent two seasons playing as the Buffalo Lighting at the Cattaraugus Community Center, located on the Seneca Nation reservation.

The IFL has been around since 2008 and has 14 teams, including in Indianapolis, San Antonio, Phoenix, San Diego and Las Vegas.

WIVB News 4's Kelsey Anderson contributed to this story.