NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear that the Bills need to address their stadium situation in the near future to keep the club in western New York, and Bills ownership remains committed to that goal. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears from team and league sources that owners Terry and Kim Pegula have not even investigated the possibility of moving the team to a different city. Instead, the Pegulas continue to work towards building a new stadium near the current one.
The Pegulas will push for the issue to become a top priority for state and local government, and they are optimistic that the recent change in New York leadership will help their pursuit. New governor Kathy Hochul has strong ties to western NY and good relationships with many members of the Buffalo organization who would be working on the project, and as of now, the sense is that the Bills will be staying put.
Now for more from the AFC East:
- Much has been made of Denzel Mims‘ future with the Jets and whether the second-year wideout could be a trade candidate, but Rich Cimini of ESPN.com hears that Mims is not going anywhere, which jibes with a recent report from the NFL Network. Indeed, as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv writes, Mims is going to get a real opportunity to shine when Gang Green takes on the Titans this afternoon. Head coach Robert Saleh said Mims “is going to get some opportunities. Hopefully he takes advantage of them. We’re expecting him to.”
- Cimini adds that, at this point, WR Jamison Crowder is the most likely player on the Jets‘ roster to be traded in the coming weeks. Although safety Marcus Maye could theoretically be on the move — his agent recently tweeted that Maye will be recovered from his ankle injury by the trade deadline, a clear attempt to drum up interest — his salary could be prohibitive for many clubs. Maye will still be owed another ~$6MM for 2021 by the time the trade deadline rolls around.
- Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is eligible to come off IR for the team’s October 17 matchup with the Jaguars, and he will be ready to return to action by that date, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Of course, it remains to be seen if Tagovailoa — who is dealing with multiple fractured ribs — will be reinserted into the starting lineup at that time, or if Miami will continue to roll with Jacoby Brissett. Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson trade rumors continue to swirl.
“The Pegulas will push for the issue to become a top priority for state and local government”
Good to hear. There’s definitely not any more pressing issues that deserve to be a top priority for an unexpected, potentially short term governor.
I’m a sports fan, and would live the Bills to be in a jewel of a building, but billionaires getting stadiums paid for by tax payers is garbage.
*love
It is a dilemma for Buffalo tax payers. Helping the Pegula’s might be cheaper than building a covered stadium complex downtown which might spur growth and indirectly help the impoverished more in time.
The idea that publicly funding stadiums will help ‘spur growth’ is a myth not borne out by the data. It just doesn’t help the economy to the extent that it offsets the massive subsidies or taxpyer dollars spent. Billionaire owners should fund their own stadiums.
Billionaires stealing from the tax payers to then make money off of those taxpayers by charging ticket prices is the biggest sham in human history, government does not “spur growth” economically, it creates work but you can only build the new Buffalo stadium once
Bull crap.
Jets D clearly not dependent on Maye- GM wise not to buckle to contract wishes
Hardly. You need to hold on to your high picks who excel. That’s the shortest way I can say it. Maye is a rare player who has always excelled and never had any off field issues nor any instances of poor judgement on the field. I think he can be trusted.
His contract demands aren’t that wild, anyway. He’s not demanding a Jamal Adams sized deal.
The problem is he’s not being used correctly. I saw a breakdown on ganggreennation.com that said he has been much more successful at free safety than at strong safety. If a contender has a need at free safety, it may be better for both him and the Jets to work out a deal.
I agree, Maye should be playing FS 100%. That’s where he had his highest success. It’s not that Maye is a bad SS, but why not play a guy at his best position?
Of course now I said that he’s never had an off-field issue, he gets a DUI…
Goodell, as I recall, said the exact same thing about Oakland, and about San Diego. He may have said the same about St. Louis. I don’t think any of us believe that any of that is anything other than public postering. He doesn’t care if a team moves, it’s whatever is the most profitable. The NFL has shown their priority time and again, so why even bother with what Goodell says about keeping teams around.
Only one question remains. Does Goodell steer the Bills to San Antonio or Austin?
Buffalo, there is nothing wrong with your stadium. Only the vile, unhealthy greed of the NFL office.
God forbid the Bills ever going to Texas. The fans will come through.
Watching Justin Herbert carve up Raiders secondary and lamenting yet another terrible draft decision by the Dolphins in taking Tua.
Listen everyone. Buffalo is the Buffalo Bills. Been a fan since 1960 and I’m telling you don’t muck this up. The people love the franchise and the franchise is the people and city. I want to make this suggestion. If a bond offering must be made to help build the new stadium, ( and I was there for the first game ever played), then it would behoove the franchise, the state of NY, Erie County and the ownership, to offer any bond to finance construction to the fans, the people who love the Bills. You have untapped resources, WORLD WIDE that are BILLS MAFIA Family and fans. I know in my heart and head that fans would line up to purchase the bonds to build the stadium. I won’t get into the finance part, but offerings could start at face value 1000 up to 10K with a discount rate of 10% for 20 yrs. it would bring in so much funding that the stadium would be built in no time. We love our Bills and having them not in Buffalo and in some other city is the absolute worst thing imaginable.
Buffalo Bills Fan From Philadelphia, Pa.
#GOBILLS #BILLSMAFIA