Seven more years of the Buffalo Bills. Seven years to end the playoff drought, to find a quarterback and maybe even win a Super Bowl. The new Bills lease has granted a stay of execution of sorts for a team that was once rumored to be on the hot seat for relocation.

Really what this lease does is provide a seven-year (possibly ten) window for this franchise to build a new stadium and cement themselves in Buffalo permanently. Of course building that stadium will be more than just a difficult mountain to summit.

The new lease has some safe and reassuring features built into at while also containing its fair share of confusing wrinkles. The $400 million buyout is no small fee, especially when combined with whatever the NFL charges for relocation fees for a new owner. The seven-year buyout is a big factor, especially for those who were truly frightened at the thought of the Bills leaving town.

Of course, the window for a much more affordable $28 million after year seven should make fans more uneasy, especially if there is no new stadium in sight. It is a safe assumption to think that the lease was worded to spend a year or two on feasibility and design and the next five on construction of a new stadium that would leave a miniscule opt-out for the team to slide into their new digs after year seven. Continue reading →