Archives for March 29, 2022

‘Bates proved to be a pleasant surprise for the Bills toward the end of the 2021 season, taking over as a starter in Week 16 against the Patriots. Perhaps not coincidentally, the offensive line seemed to hit its stride from that point forward, and Bates maintained his spot in the starting lineup through the postseason.’

‘“We’ve had open dialogue since the season ended,” Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said Monday at the NFL owners meetings. “Stef and I have talked a couple times, and he’s got a really good agent (Adisa Bakari) who I’ve dealt with before, who had Tyrod (Taylor). We’ve been very open and honest with each other. I don’t talk about negotiations. As I said a couple week ago, and I’ve always said back to Josh’s Allen’s contract or somebody else’s, contracts get done when they’re supposed to get done. If something gets done at some point this offseason, we’d let you know. Beyond that, I really wouldn’t get into it.”’

‘The public will provide $850 million to fund construction, pending approval by New York and Erie County lawmakers, “which is far less than anyone had anticipated,” Hochul said, referring to frequent speculation that taxpayers could spend $1 billion or more, reflecting a percentage of costs in line with other recent small market stadium projects. Ongoing maintenance and capital costs will add nearly $13 million a year.’

‘So Hochul, a Buffalo resident who placed a new stadium deal near the top of her agenda since assuming office last August, seemed to own the moment. Some were taking shots at particulars of her agreement. Others insisted that Bills ownership should assume more of the costs.’

‘The trade-off is that Erie County will no longer have any ownership stake in the stadium. The state would become the new leaseholder and the Bills would be a tenant.’

‘One consistent thread across the two decades is that teams in smaller NFL markets received more direct public aid, with that money accounting for an average 73% of stadium costs in those markets.’

‘“That was a decision that they made and I give them credit for working so hard and getting it done,” Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis told The News, two years after moving his franchise from Oakland, Calif., for the second time in its storied history. “I give credit to Hochul for being aggressive and coming in and saying, ‘Yeah, we understand what the NFL means to our community and we’re going to invest in it.’”’

‘As part of an agreement to build a $1.4 billion open-air stadium in Orchard Park, the new facility and the land will be owned by New York State, according to Hochul’s office. The Erie County Stadium Corp., or ECSC, a state entity subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corp., would lease the stadium to the Bills.’

‘The Buffalo Bills would pick up cost overruns on the project.’

‘The Buffalo Bills, Erie County and New York State engage in ongoing lease negotiations for then-Ralph Wilson Stadium. The venue, which opened in 1973 and was first known as Rich Stadium, was nearing 40 years old and would need extensive renovations, which were a key subject of the discussions. State officials floated the idea of building a new stadium, but Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson, who was then 93, didn’t want to commit the franchise to a long-term deal. Knowing the team would be sold upon his death, he preferred a shorter lease that was strong enough to keep the Bills from moving, and also deferred decisions on a new stadium to the next owners.’

‘A community benefits agreement, in this case, would likely guarantee that the Bills organization would contribute money back to the community. Those are often typically in the form of contributions to various community organizations and agencies in exchange for public money being spent on what is essentially a private sports enterprise.’

‘With this deal, the Pegulas are once again making clear their commitment to Buffalo. With the league, they are putting up a greater share of construction costs than the average of small-market projects over the past 20 years. More than that, they are forgoing hundreds of millions of dollars that would be theirs by moving to a city thirsting for an NFL team while simultaneously adding to the team’s value. They deserve the community’s thanks.’