Bills fans who want the team to stay in Buffalo got some good news with a report that billionaire Jeremy Jacobs, who has previously said the Bills should stay in Buffalo, has emerged as a strong candidate to buy the team from the estate of Ralph Wilson.
Jacobs, the owner of the Boston Bruins and CEO of Delaware North Companies, has a net worth estimated by Forbes at over $3 billion. Jacobs was born and raised in Buffalo, and Delaware North is headquartered in Buffalo, and the Buffalo News reports that Jacobs and his family head the list of potential local buyers for the Bills.
The fact that Jacobs owns the Bruins could complicate things, as the NFL does not allow owners to own franchises in other leagues unless those franchises are in the same market as the owner’s NFL team. But there are ways around that rule: When Stan Kroenke bought a controlling interest in the St. Louis Rams, he transferred his controlling interest in the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche to his son. The same could happen within the Jacobs family; Jeremy Jacobs Sr. could own the Bills while Jeremy Jacobs Jr. owns the Bruins, or vice versa.
Jacobs Jr. said in a 2012 interview that his family would “do what we can to ensure that the Bills stay in this town.” That’s music to the ears of Buffalo fans.