Buffalo Bills agree to new stadium lease

The Buffalo Bills and Erie County and New York state officials have reached an agreement on a lease on Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium. The 10-year deal will keep the Bills in western New York for at least seven seasons even if there is a change of ownership. The agreement requires the Bills to pay a $400 million penalty to leave Buffalo before 2020. The penalty decreases for the last three years of the lease. The government officials and the Bills also agreed to pay $130 million to upgrade the 73,079-seat, 39-year-old stadium. The NFL team would contribute $35 million, New York state $54 million and Erie County $41 million for the construction. "The Buffalo Bills are a central part of the cultural, economic and of the entire western part of New York state and the state has never wavered in our commitment to keeping the Bills a thriving part of the Buffalo community," New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. The Bills began play in 1960 as members of the AFL and played at War Memorial Stadium before moving into the current facility in 1973. The stadium was first called Rich Stadium and Bills Stadium for one season before being named for team owner Ralph Wilson in 1973.