The Bills milked Buffalo for everything — and they'll do it again

Taxpayers are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to keep the Bills in Buffalo. And within the decade, they'll probably have to pony up again

Buffalo Bills linebacker Bryan Scott (center) celebrates an interception during a Dec. 30 home game.
(Image credit: Kellen Micah/ICON SMI/Corbis)

The Buffalo Bills got everything they wanted in the new lease deal they signed in December, and they'll likely get a whole lot more in the near future.

Under the deal's terms, the Bills will receive what has become commonplace for teams demanding new or improved facilities: hefty public financing. While most such deals represent long-term investments by local governments, a provision in the Bills' lease could leave taxpayers shelling out big-time for just seven more years of football. And even if Buffalo retains the Bills after that point, taxpayers will likely have to shell out hundreds of millions more to keep their Bills.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.