Source: Bills could have a new owner as early as October

[BuffaloWingEater]

It's aggressive but is possible. Buffalo is finally an up and coming city that has been getting good economic press. Keeping the Bills will continue the Buffalo Renaissance. Losing the Bills would be catastrophic.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04...early-october/

[WagonCircler]

This can't be anything but good news. No way they move this fast if there wasn't a plan already in place.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04...early-october/

[BuffaloWingEater]

mods please merge with wagon. thanks.

[WagonCircler]

mods please merge with wagon. thanks.

Sorry about that. You beat me by 2 minutes.

[stuckincincy]

It's aggressive but is possible. Buffalo is finally an up and coming city that has been getting good economic press. Keeping the Bills will continue the Buffalo Renaissance. Losing the Bills would be catastrophic.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04...early-october/

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

[better days]

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

When is the last time you were there?

[swiper]

This can't be anything but good news. No way they move this fast if there wasn't a plan already in place.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04...early-october/

PFT....

A quick sale would make it hard for current ownership to tie the hands of a new owner by agreeing to a stadium deal that keeps the team in place for, say, 20 or 30 years. Ultimately, the question becomes whether new principal owner Mary Wilson wants to maximize her return by selling to the highest bidder, even if that bidder would soon bid adieu to Western New York.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/03/report-bills-could-have-new-owner-by-october/

We've gotta hear more details. Who exactly heads up the buying team?

[SquishDaFish]

I would think its good news. This means they must of had a plan in place for when Mr. Wilson passes. And now they are executing the plan. Im going to guess its an investment team with Kelly at the head

[Night Train]

The out of towners will just have to deal with the fact that the team is staying in WNY and their 20 year dream of announcing the move will never happen.

[better days]

PFT....




http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/03/report-bills-could-have-new-owner-by-october/

We've gotta hear more details. Who exactly heads up the buying team?

Well a new owner could move the Bills after 2020, but if the team is sold this soon, I think it can only mean an ownership group is in place to buy the team & keep it in Buffalo.

As has been said before, Mary Wilson wants to honor Ralph's legacy & keep the team in WNY.

[don137]

It's not like Ralph's passing and plan to sell team after passing came as a huge surprise. NFL teams just do not come up for sale everyday. Investors probably have been planning this for years whether it be good or bad. When he died I am sure the investors reconvened and asked if anything changed and when they said they are in they are going full steam ahead.
It will not be hard to tell what are the intentions of the new owner. He has 6 years. If no long range plan is given to keep team in Buffalo it will be apparent within a couple years.

[DraftBoy]

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

Not sure that's true. It was recently named one of the most affordable cities in America to live in and the economy is doing rather well compared to other cities in the region of the same size.

It's not a booming metropolis but its definitely been improving over the last 5-7 years.

[better days]

It's not like Ralph's passing and plan to sell team after passing came as a huge surprise. NFL teams just do not come up for sale everyday. Investors probably have been planning this for years whether it be good or bad. When he died I am sure the investors reconvened and asked if anything changed and when they said they are in they are going full steam ahead.
It will not be hard to tell what are the intentions of the new owner. He has 6 years. If no long range plan is given to keep team in Buffalo it will be apparent within a couple years.

I think the owners intentions to keep the Bills in Buffalo will be apparent as soon as they are named.

If the new ownership has any ties to Buffalo, the Bills will be staying & I think that will be the case.

[OpIv37]

I just want this whole thing to be over with.

If the team is going to move, just get it done so we can deal with it and get on with our lives.

If the team isn't going to move, just prove it so we can stop having these discussions.

[trapezeus]

to me, this all reads that the bills were looking to get a new stadium with NYS prior to the passing of ralph. and now, NYS and the stadium committee are pushing to get a deal done. Once that is set up and the subsidies for the new owners are hammered out, they'll announce who that new owner/ownership group is.

without knowing the inner workers of this, it seems like the bills longevity in buffalo looks brighter today than it did maybe 5-6 years ago. and if that ends up being the case, ralph really did want his legacy to be that he kept football in buffalo and he'll deserve a lot of credit.

[Dr. Who]

The out of towners will just have to deal with the fact that the team is staying in WNY and their 20 year dream of announcing the move will never happen.

Not sure if you mean investment groups from out of town or people who live out of town. I lived about seven or eight years in Buffalo in my youth. I've lived the large portion of my life elsewhere. Nonetheless, my heart is and always will be in Buffalo. If the team ever left the city, my interest in the NFL goes down to zero.

[Meathead]

has ms wilson come out and commented at all about her intentions? if not then this talk of her being committed to ralphs preferences might be moot. one of the disgusting realities about life is that when ppl die all bets are off. money and possessions often becomes the only important thing once someone is gone. yeah like i said, disgusting. shes facing hundreds of millions in losses to sell the team, thats real money to rich people, she might be looking to get as much as she can and screw ralphs preferences

[trapezeus]

when you live with someone for 30 years, it takes a real ******* to dismiss your entire time with someone. you may not see eye to eye with them all the time, but if you just took a different direction, it really makes you look a jackass. Did she really spend 30 years with ralph just to get ownership of the team? i think the cashflow the bills have made the last 60 years has been pretty good and the last 10, especially, have lined their pockets.

I also don't think the sweetheart deal for a local ownership group is going to be like $100MM. It's going to be fair and the NFL will be on board.

if no ownership group comes forth who is interested in staying in buffalo, then it is up to her to make her choice however she likes.

but as this story keeps developing, it seems like they had a pretty loose plan. if they didn't, they wouldn't have been moving through with stadium group. They'd literally be about being vague and more people would be popping out of the woodwork to jockey for position. The LA developers would have already said something so that their stadium projects got fundings, etc.

[WagonCircler]

but as this story keeps developing, it seems like they had a pretty loose plan. if they didn't, they wouldn't have been moving through with stadium group. They'd literally be about being vague and more people would be popping out of the woodwork to jockey for position. The LA developers would have already said something so that their stadium projects got fundings, etc.

Absolutely. People assume that these groups, The Estate, The Stadium Committee, The potential buyers, operate in a vacuum, but they don't. They all talk to each other, and I'm sure they have been for quite some time.

I'm having a great laugh at some of these passive aggressive a-holes who are rooting for the Bills to move but pretending not to. It's a sad time for them.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

Explain your reasoning.

Do you live here?