Buffalo Bills considering move to Austin Texas
doubledragon
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The Buffalo Bills are considering a move to Austin Texas.
NFL in Austin? Report says Buffalo Bills threatening move to Central Texas
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Earlier this year, Austin became home to its first professional sports franchise when Austin FC kicked off its inaugural Major League Soccer season. But now, a report from ESPN says that a different kind of pro football team could call Central Texas home.
According to a tweet from Seth Wickersham, a writer at ESPN.com, the NFL’s Buffalo Bills are considering a move to Austin as a leverage play to get public funding for a new, $1.5 billion stadium. The Buffalo News reports team owners are asking taxpayers to pay for 100% of the new stadium.
Buffalo’s current lease at Highmark Stadium ends in 2023.
“An ownership source tells me that Austin is a possible destination – or threat – as one of the ‘other cities elsewhere that desire an NFL franchise and would pay handsomely for it,'” Wickersham’s tweet reads.
How legitimate is that threat from the Buffalo Bills? Questionable at best. NFL teams looking for new stadiums have often used a move to another city as a threat to leverage negotiations for new stadiums.
Before moving to Las Vegas, the Oakland Raiders tossed around the possibility of moving to San Antonio. Currently, the Oakland Athletics and Major League Baseball have floated a move to Las Vegas during their stadium negotiations with the city.
It’s doubtful the Dallas Cowboys or Houston Texans would welcome a third franchise in the state, though. Dallas dominates the ratings all over, and views the San Antonio market as a second home of sorts.
Before MLS came to Austin, the city had the unique distinction of being the largest city without a pro sports team. But even with Austin FC, Austin doesn’t have a franchise from one of the four major professional sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) in the U.S.
KXAN reached out to Gov. Greg Abbott’s office, City of Austin and Travis County leaders for a statement.
Gov. Abbott retweeted KXAN’s story Sunday night with an “👀” emoji.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler wrote in a tweet Sunday — “I don’t comment on such rumors, but it’s fun to think about what the @BuffaloBills new name might be — Austin Amps? Austin Beat? What do you think?”
Comments
This won't be happening.
I don't see it happening either, it's just a threat tactic they're using to get the stadium built, plus Jerry Jones rules the world, and he'll never allow this to happen. Never!
I don't think so.
i think i heard some screaming coming out of Texarkana
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
A live look at 2dueces at work reading this thread.
Oh my goodness, calm down buddy, the Bills will probably stay in Buffalo!
keep austin weird.
It’s one thing when a franchise moves because attendance sucks, and the team as a weak fan base. It’s another when team owners act like “carpet baggers,” as the late Howard Cosell used to say, and for the money tinged with a threat of extortion. From I can see, the Bills have a large and loyal fan base. Such a move would really suck, but it’s happened before, like when the loser, alcoholic Baltimore Colts owner moved the team to Indianapolis.
It makes sense to me. Buffalo has some great fans but is sort of a dying region. Austin is a booming town in the middle of a booming region.