The Buffalo Bills are staying in western New York. Where? We haven’t been, and truthfully still aren’t sure, about that.
But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell changed his tune a bit on that subject on Wednesday in Miami while speaking to reporters ahead of Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.
Goodell, a Jamestown native, acknowledged he wants the Bills to “be in Buffalo and be successful.” With the palace-type stadiums around the NFL being built in recent years, Goodell has long been in support of a new stadium for the team in the region.
“The reason why I’m supportive [of a new stadium] is I want to make sure the franchise remains stable here and continues to stay competitive,” Goodell said in June. “I think it’s great for this community, and we’ve been able to do these stadiums in such a way that it creates a tremendous economic benefit, too.”
But on Wednesday, a different approach. He used the “R” word… renovations.
“A stadium that is going to be competitive with other stadiums around the league is going to be important in that context,” Goodell said in regard to keeping the Bills a viable team in Buffalo. “I think everyone is committed to that, whether it’s a new significant renovation or a completely different facility in a new place.”
The Bills are currently locked into a lease with Erie County to play at New Era Field until 2023. Of course with the calendar recently changing to 2020, 2023 is just around the corner.
The Bills ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula have done their due diligence on the stadium issue at hand, having started conducting studies on what to do. Much of that is being kept hidden, however, the balance of renovations vs. a new stadium is mostly come down to money and where it’s coming from.
Time will only tell what happens with the Bills stadium issue, but Wednesday’s comments sound like a minor win of sorts for those in favor of keeping the Bills in Orchard Park instead of building a new stadium completely… perhaps one in downtown Buffalo, for example.
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