Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz wants a new lease that ties the Buffalo Bills to Ralph Wilson Stadium for many years.
But how long the state and county can ensure the Bills stay in Buffalo will depend on several factors:
* The length of the lease, expected to be 10 to 15 years.
* How much of a financial penalty the team would face for leaving.
* Whether the county can get the Bills to agree to clauses like those in the Jacksonville Jaguars' lease, considered perhaps the most ironclad in the National Football League.
Poloncarz isn't tipping his hand, but he's said the county has looked at all the recent lease agreements in the league.
"That's all part of the negotiations," Poloncarz said when asked about assurances that could be part of a lease deal currently being negotiated. "I want to ensure that we have a lease that keeps the Bills here for many years to come."
It might be hard to get an ironclad guarantee that would prevent the Buffalo Bills from leaving town during the duration of their next stadium lease agreement.
But some kind of assurance that the Bills will stay in Buffalo - most likely a hefty financial penalty for leaving - is believed to be key as Erie County, the Bills and New York State work to hammer out a new stadium lease. A framework of the deal could be agreed to in the next couple of weeks.
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