Birmingham, AL was Tested as a Possibility in 1968:
- Patriots were offered $10 million to transfer the team to Birmingham.
- In the 1968 season, the Patriots played their home opener at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL.
Note: Patriots ownership strongly denied any rumors that the team would move to Alabama. - Had the Patriots moved, they would have played at Legion Field which sat 70,000 people. But, why didn’t they move? The short answer is Poor Timing
- Alabama opened its college football season the night before the Patriots played. Because of the financial situation of locals, most people could not afford to go to both a college and a professional football game. Birmingham being a college town, most chose to attend the Alabama game leaving attendance to the Patriots home opener at a measly 29,000.
Memphis, TN Proposal (made in 1969):
- Mike Lynn, president of the Mid-South Sports Action Inc (representing Memphis), offered $16 million to Billy Sullivan to purchase the Patriots (the equivalent of about $141 million in 2026). This offer was denied.
- In August of 1969, Mike Lynn changed his stance a bit saying “Instead of offering to buy the team, I’ll see if I can persuade him to move it to Memphis but keep its present owners.”
- Had the team moved, they would have played in Memphis Memorial Stadium which had 50,160 seats.
Montreal, Canada was Tested during a 1969 Pre-Season Game:
- The played at the Parc Jarry Stadium which had a seating capacity of 28,500, the game only drew about 8,000 people.
North Carolina Statement (made in 1968):
- The executive secretary of the North Carolina Stadium Authority, Joe Matthews, told newspapers that North Carolina was promised first consideration on the Boston Patriots football franchise if the team were to leave Boston.
- Joe Matthews organization had been working on making plans for a new stadium in either the High Point, Greensboro, Winston, or Salem, NC.
Seattle, WA Proposal (made in 1968):
- The Seattle Rangers of the Continental Football League offered to buy the Boston Patriots for $8 million (the equivalent of about $71 million in 2026).
- Seattle already had Sicks’ Stadium (a 60,000 seat stadium) that would serve as a temporary home until the approved new stadium was built..
- How close was the team to moving to Seattle? In April of 1969, the Boston Herald Traveler was quoted saying the Patriots “are on the threshold of moving to Seattle” it was “imminent [and] could happen within a few days”.
Tampa, FL Proposal (made in 1970):
- Guaranteed Gate of $200,000 for one, two, or three games in Tampa during the 1971 season. (This would have been the team just hosting some games in Tampa)
- A guarantee of $1.2 million net revenue if the team transferred with its present ownership, and the right to match any offer submitted by another city if the Patriots were to be sold.
Other cities who submitted proposals or expressed interest but information is not available include: Anaheim, CA and Toronto, Canada
