Buffalo Bills fans were put through the ringer a bit on Sunday. At least now we’ve got a good update to provide.
First, the roundup: According to an initial report, the Bills proposed to local government that construction of their future stadium be fully funded by taxpayer money. Currently the team’s lease with Erie County for Highmark Stadium runs through 2023.
In making this proposal, the Bills had evidently made sure to note that other cities would love to have a NFL team.
While that is probably true in general, it seemed very unlikely that a move would happen, all things considered.
But then a specific city was mentioned in a separate report later in the day. It was Austin, Texas.
Now for the latest: Not so fast.
According to a report in Austin via the Austin American-Statesman, that’s probably not very true as of now. Austin city council members are not aware of any such talks:
Austin City Council members I’ve spoken with today tell me this is the first they’ve heard about the Buffalo Bills considering moving to Austin.
Austin FC, conversely, engaged council members early on before coming here.
We’ll see what happens. https://t.co/W7ixncBteG
— Ryan Autullo (@AutulloAAS) August 1, 2021
Austin FC is the soccer team in Major League Soccer currently playing their inaugural season. That does show Austin is potentially a future destination for further sports franchises.
However, even prior to this new report, many took the mention of the “Austin Bills” with a massive grain of salt. Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula are currently in very early negotiations in terms of finding funding for a new stadium.
From the ownership’s point of view, even if they had no intention of moving the team… they’re still going to have to play such a card to get maximum funding.
This latest update all but proves that’s pretty much all the report of “Austin” was… at least at this time.
Bills Wire will continue to follow the stadium topic as it unfolds. Check back for future updates.
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