County Executive Thinks Bills Would’ve Moved Without Public Funds for New Stadium
It’s going to cost taxpayers a lot of money to keep their team in western New York.
The Bills are set to open their brand new stadium in 2026 after a lengthy negotiation to reach an agreement that their new home would stay in western New York. However, Erie County exec Mark Poloncarz believes that the team would have relocated if the organization had to build the stadium itself.
The Buffalo franchise is co-owned by husband and wife Terry and Kim Pegula and Poloncarz broke down how negotiations went.
“The NFL is a business,” Poloncarz told Sports Business Journal. “You’re negotiating with one of 32 of the owners of the business. They have the ability, like a lot of the other businesses that we’ve seen in our town, to move if they feel it’s better for them.
“They have a business goal in mind, which is, in general, to make as much money as possible,” he continued. “They can make more money if they move elsewhere. I don’t think the Pegulas would have built the stadium for themselves here in western New York if we told them to go pound salt. I think they would have moved their team, because the history of the NFL is that’s what happens.”
The new stadium that will be named Highmark Stadium—the same name as it is now—will cost $1.4 billion with taxpayers contributing $850 million, per a 2022 report from The Guardian. Despite the hefty bill, Poloncarz sounds like he’s happy with the end amount and result.
“You’ve got to understand that priority No. 1 is keep the team here, but not at all costs,” Polocarz said. “If they came back and came up with such a ridiculous number that the county couldn’t afford, then I would have walked away. It would have been a tough decision, but I just can’t give them a blank check. I’d like to think it was a combination of our good negotiating, as well as the Pegulas’ willingness to invest the team here. They could have walked, and there’s not a whole lot we could have done.”
Introducing the New Highmark Stadium. Built For Buffalo.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) June 5, 2023
Don’t miss your chance to be a part of it: https://t.co/qAXR7FkduE pic.twitter.com/hb4pPysEEN