December 21, 2012

A general view of the Rogers Centre during the "Bills in Toronto" series. The team won't be relocating to Toronto any time soon. (REUTERS)

TORONTO - In the immediate future, there will be no Los Angeles Bills. Or Toronto Bills. Or Rancho Cucamonga Bills. Or any other kind of NFL Bills other than the Buffalo variety.

Indeed, a collective sigh of relief could be heard coming from western New York on Friday morning when the loyal football-crazed zealots in the area were welcomed with the news that the franchise had agreed to a 10-year lease to remain in the Buffalo area.

Should the Bills opt to relocate during the first seven years of the deal, they would be slapped with a $400 million US penalty. The amount drops significantly to a $29 million relocation fee over the final three years, but Erie County and New York state officials insist there are no plans for such a move.