The Buffalo Bills aren’t going anywhere for a very long time. Two weeks ago, a new 30-year lease agreement was reached between Bills, Erie County and New York on a $1.4 billion outdoor stadium in Orchard Park.
The agreement of the stadium was part of the new state budget for 2023 was formally adopted last week, the official making, despite some opposition to public money funding a stadium in western New York.
The Bills aim to start playing in the new stadium by 2026.
Even though the plan was from the start to keep the Bills in Buffalo, which it did, the threat of relocation was there.
The Governor Kathy Hochul was the guest of Brian Lehrer on WNYC Wednesday. The agreement stadium Bills were discussed in detail, Hochul stating that it was aware that the Pegulas had been approached by cities that have recently lost NFL teams to move the Bills.
This suggests cities like San Diego and St. Louis, and in fact, Hochul dismissed San Diego as a possible place the Bills could have gone had the state not subsidized the new stadium.
Ultimately, the Bills secured an agreement with the county and state, which will see $850 million of public money allocated to the new stadium. If the $1.4 billion price tag goes over budget, invoices are responsible for the extra cost.
Hochul added that, like Broadway is in New York, the Bills are in West New York; and the threat of relocation was still there.
The inauguration date of the new stadium is not yet determined, but considering the start in 2026, it should be very soon.
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