No Bud Adams is passing ownership of the Titans to members of his family.

Ralph probably would have passed ownership to his daughter Linda who loved the Bills and was actively involved in the franchise, but unfortunately she passed away in 2009.

Either way, I'm really glad to see so much support from the Browns' fanbase. You guys rock.

@go-losers said:

Second, the Pittsburgh Steelers have endured long stretches of bad seasons. So have the Green Bay Packers, not once has there been any talk of these teams relocating. It all goes to my point that there must be something serious going on to make officials in Buffalo, NY believe it's a possibility.

That's because the Steelers haven't been put up for sale. The sole reason there's any relocation talk about the Bills is because Ralph Wilson died and his children don't want to keep the franchise.

Nobody has any doubt about the support of the Bills in and around Buffalo. It's simply a matter of greedy businessmen knowing that they could buy the Bills and move them to a bigger city and make more money. But the same could be said about 90% of the teams in the league. It just so happens that the rest of that 90% of the league isn't up for sale. If they were we'd be having the same relocation discussions about them.

@taco918 said:

Cleveland is a pretty large market but otherwise I agree with your assessment.

Sorry I have to root against you guys this year.

True, I guess you guys are more of a "mid-market" team but sure as hell have the loyalty and scrappiness of a small market team. I'm guessing just like the Bills, there's probably no such thing as a "Fair weather Browns fan."

@mld-woody said:

I didn't know we were a small market team...

You are. The Bills and the Browns are probably the most similar teams in the NFL. From the rust belt cities they call home, to the underdog status of being a small market team, to the rabid blue collar fans that support them. It's the main reason most Bills fans that wouldn't stop watching football altogether if the Bills moved would become Browns fans by default. Two of the most similar(and best) fanbases in the entire league imo.

@the-gipper said:

So, what is the deal with Bon Jovi.....is he outwardly stating that he will move the team? And to where? Toronto? LA? Asbury Park?

Why put 130 mill into a facility if one of the probable conditions of keeping the team there is a new stadium? Put that money into the new stadium.

He wants to move the team to LA.

A lot of Bills fans agree with you about the money for renovations. Ralph put up most of it out of his own pocket before he died though, so it's kind of seen as a nice gift to hold us over until someone builds a new stadium.

Nothing is for certain of course, but here's what seems to be unfolding:

-Ralph Wilson left the Bills in a trust of 4 people including his Wife, his niece, his lawyer, and the Bills Chief Financial Officer. They alone will be voting on who to sell the team to, however whoever they decide can be vetoed by the other league owners. Judging by how the the last relocation vote(Browns) went I'm not too confident in other owners.

-It's generally accepted by everyone involved that the construction of a new stadium is a condition of the Bills staying in Western New York. Potentially locations being discussed are Niagara Falls, Downtown Buffalo, or Batavia.

-$130 million in renovations expected to be finished this offseason are expected to do for now. They're adding some cool stuff: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/6-reasons-to-be-excited-about-the-Ralph-Wilson-Stadium-renovations/d9ae82f2-7c6e-4d78-adfa-1b60fb0a62b2

-Ralph Wilson's last gift to the area, which we found out after his passing, was secretly having his lawyers, the state, and Eerie County craft a secondary document attached to the new lease signed a couple years ago which basically prevents anyone from moving the team within the next 6 years. If they try, they'd have to win the right to in court and THEN pay a $150 million relocation penalty IF they won that court case.

-The largest threat to the team staying in Buffalo is perceived to be Bon Jovi's group which includes Rogers Media in Toronto. They've got the money and they've got the clout. Fans are already banding together to send a big "fuck you" to him with local bars/restaurants/djs/bands signing commitments to not play his music in their establishments and fan groups like http://www.12thmanthunder.com circulating petitions. Here's a sign you can expect to see if you go into a bar or nightclub here:

-Our best hope for keeping the team in Buffalo ownership-wise is probably the group associated with Jim Kelly, but he's recently been battling with some really bad cancer so who knows how that will turn out. Donald Trump has expressed interest in keeping the Bills here, but that's a steep price to pay. I can't imagine having someone like that owning my team.

I personally would stop watching the NFL completely if the Bills moved. Forever. Though you'll probably get a kick out of the fact that a lot of fellow Bills fans say they'd become Browns fans if they were forced to root for another team. There was just a big thread about it on a Bills forum not to long ago.

Thank god they cancelled the Toronto game this year. I hope tell Rogers Media to go fuck themselves and cancel the series all together.

I don't necessarily agree and here's why; No NFL team has ever been relocated since the advent of social media. Look at all the craziness that went down when the Browns were moved. Browns fans raised hell, and rightfully so. Can you imagine what would have went down if Facebook and Twitter had been around granting the ability for massive organization almost instantly? We're talking public backlash so severe it would be a an absolute PR nightmare for the NFL. I'd be willing to wager the Brown's attempted relocation would have turned out a lot differently had it taken place today instead of 1996. A city that's not so crazy about football like Jacksonville or Miami maybe, but not Cleveland or Buffalo. There would be hell to pay.

Of course you both could be right and that could be my wishful thinking & rose-colored glasses.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

I think your team will be gone within a decade.

I found this statistic on market area rankings:

NFL "Designated Market Area" (DMA) rankings by size

NFL DMA rankings by division1. New York Giants/New York Jets

3. Chicago Bears

4. Philadelphia Eagles

5. Dallas Cowboys

6. San Francisco 49ers/Oakland Raiders

7. New England Patriots

8. Atlanta Falcons

9. Washington Redskins

10. Houston Texans

11. Detroit Lions

12. Arizona Cardinals

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

14. Seattle Seahawks

15. Minnesota Vikings

16. Miami Dolphins

17. Cleveland Browns

18. Denver Broncos

21. St. Louis Rams

23. Pittsburgh Steelers

24. Carolina Panthers

25. Indianapolis Colts

26. Baltimore Ravens

28. San Diego Chargers

29. Tennessee Titans

31. Kansas City Chiefs

34. Cincinnati Bengals

47. Jacksonville Jaguars

51. Buffalo Bills

53. New Orleans Saints

70. Green Bay Packers

Average DMA size/ranking by divisionAFC East

1. New York Jets

7. New England Patriots

16. Miami Dolphins

51. Buffalo Bills

AFC North

17. Cleveland Browns

23. Pittsburgh Steelers

26. Baltimore Ravens

34. Cincinnati Bengals

AFC South

10. Houston Texans

25. Indianapolis Colts

29. Tennessee Titans

47. Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West

6. Oakland Raiders

18. Denver Broncos

28. San Diego Chargers

31. Kansas City Chiefs

NFC East

1. New York Giants

4. Philadelphia Eagles

5. Dallas Cowboys

9. Washington Redskins

NFC North

3. Chicago Bears

11. Detroit Lions

15. Minnesota Vikings

70. Green Bay Packers

NFC South

8. Atlanta Falcons

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

24. Carolina Panthers

53. New Orleans Saints

NFC West

6. San Francisco 49ers

12. Arizona Cardinals

14. Seattle Seahawks

21. St. Louis Rams

1.

NFC East

(4.75)

2.

NFC West

(13.25)

3.

AFC East

(18.75)

4.

AFC West

(20.75)

5. NFC South (24.50)

6.

NFC North

(24.75)

7.

AFC North

(25.00)

8.

AFC South

(27.75)

Notes

All four teams in the NFC East are located in top-10 DMAs. Conversely, the AFC North has no teams located in top-10 DMAs.

 

Aside from the NFC East, the AFC East is the only division with more than one team located in a top-10 DMA.

 

The NFC North has both the smallest DMA and the largest single-team DMA in the NFL.

 

The average NFC DMA ranking is 16.81, compared to 23.07 in the AFC. The median NFC DMA is 11.5, compared to 24.0 in the AFC.

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/pro-football/1187003-nfl-standings-designated-market-area-dma.html#ixzz32HZiT4i2

That's not really indicative of how many people watch football in those areas, just the size/population of the team's home city. In the case of the Bills, I'm sure they don't count Ontario or Toronto which is actually where 20% of our season ticket holder fanbase is from. The Browns are also ranked better in viewership than your list credits them for. The link below from ratings taken over the 2013 season are a better indication and track actual viewership of team's fans. You might be surprised to find the Bills ranked 11th in the whole league. The Browns aren't far behind at 14th. Not bad for two small market teams.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2014/01/15/buffalo-no-11-in-nfl-tv-ratings.html?ana=twt

Howdy all! Figured I might pop in to drum up any support the Bills may have from the Browns' fanbase. We like our team where it is and hope everyone else does too. Small market teams like us are just as important to the league as big market teams imo.

As I'm sure some of you know, the Bills & Browns have unofficially supported each other for a long time, both being small market teams. From the shenanigans they pulled together to steal Bernie Kosar for the Browns from the Oilers in the 1985 draft(great story btw. Google it if you're not familiar) to Ralph Wilson being one of only two team owners in the league to vote against relocating the Browns in 1996 even though he was considered one of Art Modell's closest friends. He supported the fanbase of small markets teams over all else. When he failed to block the move, he did the only thing he could and declared the Bills/Bengals game next season "Cleveland Browns Fan Appreciate Day" at Ralph Wilson Stadium. He also chose halftime at a Bills/Browns game to receive his Hall of Fame ring.

Anyways, it's obvious what Bills fans think about moving the team. I'm curious what fans of another team think. Would you sign a petition to keep them in Buffalo or join a Facebook group to show your support?