Photos: Sneak peek at possible new Vikings stadium seating

There's a lot of discussion about what might happen to the seats in the Metrodome before the place is demolished started Jan. 18.

But deep in the bowels of the doomed stadium, there are some OTHER seats that fans aren't seeing yet.

These seats are just samples, offered by seating companies to the builders of the new Vikings stadium, set to open in 2016. They range from virtual copies of the seats that are in the Metrodome now to luxury padded recliners embroidered with the Vikings logo.

(Photos by Tim Nelson, MPR)

Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority spokeswoman Jenn Hathaway says that these seats are just prospects, and that bids aren't even out for the seating yet, so results may vary when the stadium is actually finished.

"The gauranteed maximum price means that the cost will be under $975 million, barring an extra $26 million from Wilfs. They have yet to decide what goes in (exact seats, lighting fixures), but there are allowances for all of the finishes," Hathaway says.

The Vikings say that they expect they will have some sample seating to show fans when they open their ticket and personal seat license sales center near the dome, but spokesman Jeff Anderson said it isn't clear yet exactly what will be featured in the mock-up of stadium seating.

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