Now that Terry and Kim Pegula have been chosen to be the owners of the Buffalo Bills, one major issue that remains uncertain is where the team will play in future years. Ralph Wilson Stadium is among the oldest facilities in the NFL and despite undergoing a $130 million dollar renovation this past offseason, many believe a new stadium will be needed at some point. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says if that ends up being in the city, he will be on board.
Brown weighed in on the topic at a news conference Tuesday. He says the team's new owners will ultimately decide whether a potential new home would be within city limits.
"Just a we have done with HarborCenter, where the city has worked extremely closely with Terry and Kim Pegula and the Sabres organization, if they make the decision, and it is their decision to make, that they want to build a stadium in downtown Buffalo, we envision being as supportive and helpful to them in that process as we have with HarborCenter," Brown said.
Brown is a member of the New Stadium Working Group, a coalition set up to examine whether an upgraded Ralph Wilson Stadium is feasible in Orchard Park, or whether a new stadium should be built in Western New York. The group has met only one time so far.
"Certainly, the downtown stadium discussion could open up," Brown said. "The city has done its due diligence and we will be as supportive of them as we absolutely can when they make that decision."
The mayor says much of the stadium talk is premature and, for now, Bills fans should simply celebrate the fact that the team will stay in Western New York for decades to come.
NFL owners are expected to approve the Pegula purchase at a meeting in Manhattan early next month. The ultimate purchase price for the team has been widely reported to be $1.4 billion
The 1-0 Buffalo Bills open their home schedule Sunday with a game against the 1-0 Miami Dolphins.
