ORLANDO, Fla. — The NFL lost a towering figure Tuesday when Bills owner Ralph Wilson died at his home in Michigan at age 95.
Wilson’s death was announced by the team and at the NFL owners meetings, prompting a flood of emotional tributes from his counterparts — as well as plenty of speculation about the Bills’ future in Buffalo.
Wilson, who was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009, was one of the founders of the American Football League 55 years ago and a fierce advocate for small-market teams as the only owner in Bills history.
“Ralph was a great personal friend to our family for many years, not to mention a visionary and a pioneer,” Giants co-owner John Mara said. “He had a lot of character and integrity, and he wasn’t afraid to be the lone dissenting voice in the room.”
Added Jets owner Woody Johnson: “It’s really the end of an era. Ralph was the NFL and the AFL. We’re going to miss him.”
Wilson’s death throws the Bills’ long-range future into question because of the size of the market in Buffalo and the team’s struggle to sell tickets and sponsorships.
In the short term, the team will be put into a trust so Wilson’s heirs can sell it for tax purposes. Even if the Bills were to relocate to Toronto, Los Angeles or London, it likely wouldn’t be before 2019 because there is a $400 million penalty for breaking their current lease at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The year 2019 will be pivotal, though, because the penalty dips all the way down to $28 million before going back up to $400 million in 2020. That essentially would create a one-year loophole for the new owner to move if the Bills are sold before then.