Buffalo bills may move to Austin

Currently+located+in+Buffalo%2C+New+York%2C+the+Buffalo+Bills+are+considering+relocating+to+Austin.+This+would+be+the+first+NFL+team+to+be+in+the+city.

Natalie Cullen

Currently located in Buffalo, New York, the Buffalo Bills are considering relocating to Austin. This would be the first NFL team to be in the city.

Oscar Campbell, Staff Writer

The Buffalo Bills and their organization are in the works and may potentially be moving to Austin, Texas. Buffalo Bill owner’s Kim and Terry Pegula were talking with the city of Buffalo and asking for $1.5 billion dollars for a new Bills stadium. With the Highmark stadium nearing 50 years old they want a new fresh and modern stadium. The Bills have experienced a slight decrease in fan attendance in the past couple of years, and they feel that a new stadium would see their fan attendance numbers go up. 

The Bills threatened to move to Austin if they do not receive the money by their lease date in 2023. With the news spreading, many people around the city of Austin, such as sophomore Colton Easley, are very excited by the fact that they may be getting an NFL team. 

“It would be a great thing to have a football team in Austin, and it would be fun to go to the games,” Easley said. “It would get our city to have everyone together as a community to watch the games, which would be awesome.” 

With the excitement coursing through the city, there are still some concerns with the Bills potential move to Austin. The city of Buffalo is actively trying to keep their team. They are actively working on proposing a deal with the owner of the Bills. With their deal extending until 2023, they have multiple years to find a solution. Although the city of Buffalo wants to keep their team, many students, such as sophomore Nathan Rivas, think moving would make an impact on the players. 

“I think they will perform the same, maybe even better, because the city of Austin is a great place for sports teams,” Rivas said. 

With the new addition of Austin FC, the new stadium is packed each game with supportive Austin soccer fans, which goes to show Austin’s great love for sports. This shows how great Austin fans would be for welcoming a new football team to the city. 

“Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be able to support a football team from my hometown,” Easley said. “With the Bill’s potential move to Austin, it gives all the kids in Austin a chance to grow up watching their hometown team. Carrying out the tradition of watching the football games with their dad laughing and sharing a pretzel in the stands is something Austin kids need, so the addition of a team would be great.”