That early optimism about one of the NFL’s original franchises moving back to L.A. has fizzled amid the league cleaning up the mess in the league office.
Roger Goodell told NFL.com that the Raiders, Chargers and Rams will stay put for now.
The Chargers made the announcement earlier in the week that they are staying in San Diego next season, a clear sign that no one would be there next season. Had they thought another team could move to L.A. this year, they would’ve stayed in play. League sources confirmed this, saying neither of the other two teams whose leases allow them to move — the Rams and the Raiders are the others — will move this year.
Before the Raiders, the Rams or the Chargers bolt, the league decided the focus should be on finding the best site before finding the best team or teams for Los Angeles. There is no scenario that involves a team heading to Los Angeles in a temporary site and then figuring out a stadium later.
With that in mind, the spotlight now shines on three sites: Hollywood Park, where Rams owner Stan Kroenke owns land; Carson, California, which has 172 acres that has been scouted by at least two NFL teams; and AEG’s site that would create a downtown stadium. Those spots have shown themselves to be the viable ones.
The Chargers made their statements earlier in the week, saying they’ll stay in San Diego in 2015 but noting, “Calendar year 2015 will constitute the team’s fourteenth year of work on a San Diego stadium solution.” The urgency was evident.
Raiders owner Mark Davis emphasized to me earlier in the week “all our energy is going towards trying to stay in Oakland,” and a one-year lease is their likely move now. Their lease for O.Co Coliseum runs out this year.