A very legitimate source said there were cities interested in taking the Bills away from Buffalo before the team struck a deal for a new stadium.
On Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said via WNYC radio that cities that specifically lost teams wanted to land the Bills had there been a possibility.
She went on to indicate that San Diego was one.
“I was aware that they were being reached out to by other cities that have lost teams before. That is real,” Hochul said.
“My whole life there was talk of them going to Toronto… Buffalo is a very small market. It is quite extraordinary that they have a team at all,” she added. “Because there’s a lot more money to be had in those larger cities like San Diego and others who would love to have a team. So, that’s a reality most people probably aren’t familiar with.”
Hochul, a western New York native, would be well aware of the Toronto subject.
On March 28, it was officially announced that a $1.4 billion venue would be built for the Bills in Orchard Park next to their current home. The team will be locked into playing there for at least 30 years and will begin in 2026.
The building will officially be an open-air stadium with about a 62,000-seating capacity.
The Bills and the NFL will front $550M for the project. The $850M total from taxpayers covers 61 percent of the total cost of construction.
Other markets that lost NFL franchises in the past include St. Louis and Oakland.
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