BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — With a bit of humor and social media-savvy, the Mayor of Austin, Texas and the Governor of Texas separately acknowledged reports that the Buffalo Bills are floating Austin as a city that wants an NFL franchise.
On Sunday night, Mayor Steve Adler tweeted "I don't comment on such rumors, but it's fun to think about what the Buffalo Bills new name might be - Austin Amps? Austin Beat? What do you think?"
I don’t comment on such rumors, but it’s fun to think about what the @BuffaloBills new name might be — Austin Amps? Austin Beat? What do you think? https://t.co/Ymt1sBlozA
— Mayor Adler | Get vaccinated! (@MayorAdler) August 2, 2021
Governor Greg Abbot also acknowledged the reports with a simple looking eye emoji.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 1, 2021
According to reporting from The Buffalo News, the Bills have pitched New York State $1.5 billion of taxpayer funds for a new stadium and to help cover renovation costs at KeyBank Center. Further reporting from ESPN suggested other cities would pay to secure an NFL franchise if the state does not pony up the money.
The Twittersphere was quick to jump on the news, many of whom from the Texas area commented how unlikely it would be that this would become a reality.
We all know Jerry Jones won't let that happen.
— Sosa (@mwsosa) August 1, 2021
Let’s not pretend there’s any chance Austin will pay for the stadium the Bills want, or that Jerry Jones would let another team into his market.
— Blue Texas 🌵🇺🇸 (@Texas_WTF) August 2, 2021
A spokesperson for Mayor Adler declined further comment when pressed by 7 Eyewitness News about whether the city is indeed interested in bringing an NFL franchise to Texas' fourth largest city, which has a population of about one million people.
