Buffalo Bills fans might not have to wait long for new leadership to waltz into town.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that the team could identify a new owner within three months.
With at least one contending ownership group already taking the initiative to walk through potential new stadium sites in Buffalo, there is some hope the team could be sold by July and approved by NFL owners as early as the October league meetings, per the report.
However, the organization's long-term future in upstate New York remains uncertain following the March death of team owner and founder Ralph Wilson.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo leads a state-led charge to prevent the franchise from relocating. As part of that effort, Cuomo plans to hire a consulting firm over the next week to help pinpoint possible stadium locations and outline public financing options to which a new ownership group would be privy.
The firm's report would be handed over to the "New Stadium Work Group," a recently formed committee that includes public and private leaders and Bills executives who will decide whether an overhaul of Ralph Wilson Stadium or a new home is preferable.
"The governor wants to be prepared if there are any earlier offers to buy the team," Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy told The AP on Friday. "Our team is looking at sites now in Erie County, Buffalo, Niagara County. We're just being prepared because we don't know who the next owner will be. We're not sure what the goals and the objectives of the next ownership team will be."
The Bills' current lease doesn't expire until 2022, but Duffy acknowledged back in April: "There is a sense of urgency with this group. We spoke about that. I think everybody understands the seriousness of the process."
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