Per a report from Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday sent a memo to all 32 teams in the league pertaining to the Los Angeles market and the process involved for teams to relocate.
Four teams are specifically mentioned by Farmer in the report as candidates for relocation. The Buffalo Bills are not among the teams; instead, Farmer names the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars as the candidates, though he provides wiggle room in his wording. (It's safe to say that the Bills, as they exist today, have no interest whatsoever in joining the pool of candidates.)
Also of particular interest in the report: Goodell mentions the 2013 season as a possible early (and perhaps overly optimistic) timeline for potential league infiltration into the LA market, and that any team wishing to apply must do so between January 1 and February 15 of next year.
As long as Bills ownership is stable - i.e. Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. remains in his post and in good health - the Bills won't ever be serious candidates for relocation, particularly as they look into expensive upgrades and a lease extension for Ralph Wilson Stadium. Any talk of the Bills ending up in LA is tied directly to what happens with ownership once the team passes from Wilson's hands. For now, Farmer is right to leave the Bills off of a list of candidates for relocation, particularly since the NFL's timeline is so soon.
Lastly, Goodell's wording of the following is the strongest indication that the league is serious about getting back into LA: "Although substantial uncertainties remain, stadium development in Los Angeles has advanced to the point where the prospects for a new facility are better than they have been in many years," Goodell wrote.