The Bills are staying in Buffalo, but the team had other options, according to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Responding to listener questions on WNYC, Hochul indicated that San Diego and other cities had reached out to the team.
“I was aware that they were being reached out to by other cities that have lost teams before,” she said. Hochul added that “a significant performer actually was coming forward with a plan to take them to Toronto.”
“Buffalo’s a very small market,” Hochul continued. “There’s a lot more money to be had in larger cities like San Diego and others who would love to have a team.”
- St. Louis, Oakland, and San Diego have lost NFL teams in recent years.
- State legislators agreed on a $220 billion budget which includes $600 million for a new Bills stadium.
- Erie County is also chipping in $250 million.
Team owners Kim and Terry Pegula had threatened to move the team, reportedly floating Austin, Texas, as a potential destination.
City of Oakland v. Oakland Raiders
While the Raiders have played in Las Vegas since 2020, Oakland is appealing to the Supreme Court in a case against the team, which alleges that the NFL’s allowing the team to move and denying Oakland an expansion team represented a group boycott.
Ruth Henricks, who is suing the Chargers over their move to Los Angeles, wrote a brief in support of Oakland, saying the NFL harmed both cities when they couldn’t meet the league’s “extortionate” demands.
