The Chargers last night announced they would stay at Qualcomm Stadium in '15, likely ruling out NFL relocation to L.A. for next year. That is because the Chargers have been public that they consider L.A. part of their market, and it is highly unlikely the club would make the move without the confidence that no other team was moving there. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last week also sounded a dour note when asked about L.A., saying he did not see how a team could move there by next season. In a statement posted on the team's web site, Special Counsel Mark Fabiani wrote, "On February 1st of every year since 2007, the Chargers have been eligible to terminate the team’s lease for Qualcomm Stadium. And each year since 2007, the Chargers have announced that the team will not exercise the termination clause and instead continue to work toward a permanent stadium solution in San Diego." He added, "The Chargers are making the same announcement that the team has made each year since 2007: The team will not be exercising the lease termination clause and will keep working to find a publicly acceptable way to build a Super-Bowl quality stadium in San Diego. Calendar year 2015 will constitute the team’s fourteenth year of work on a San Diego stadium solution." The two other teams with eyes on L.A. are the Rams and Raiders. The Rams, whose lease expires at the end of this season, are waiting for a new stadium proposal from St. Louis. The league's relocation bylaw requires teams to make good faith negotiation before seeking to relocate. The Raiders are not believed to be able to afford a move without a second team to share the cost of a new stadium. The Raiders can also go year to year now on their lease (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer).
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE: In San Diego, Kevin Acee in a front-page piece notes the decision "gives the city more time, but the situation remains pressing." San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said, “It’s great news. The Chargers belong right here in San Diego. I’m looking forward to working productively with them on a solution, and I’m confident we can achieve one together -- and one the public will support.” Faulconer last week said, “The L.A. possibility has always been out there, which is one of the reasons I’m committed to making sure we’re moving forward here in San Diego. I think 2015 offers us a great opportunity for action.” Acee notes the Chargers’ latest proposal "is for a downtown stadium," and they are "eyeing a November 2016 ballot measure to ask for public assistance." The team "has joined forces with JMI Realty, which plans to build a convention center annex and hotel east of Petco Park, across the railroad tracks from the current convention center." A new Chargers stadium "would be one part of JMI’s plans." Faulconer has said the Chargers “need a new stadium” and has pledged his support for the cause. He also said that he "believes the stadium is a countywide issue and will pursue avenues with county officials." Faulconer added that he will "begin to roll out a stadium plan 'very publicly' in January" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/17). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote while the headline "suggests the Chargers aren’t going anywhere, the text and the context send a far different message." The city "has a year to permanently fix the situation, or the Chargers could indeed be returning to the place where they spent the first season of their existence, way back in 1960." If the Chargers "don’t do it soon, they’ll be stuck in San Diego with a substandard stadium and one -- or two -- other NFL teams on the fringes of the Chargers’ powdered-blue turf" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 12/16).
EYE ON L.A.: Fabiani said that the Chargers are "keeping a watchful eye on what happens" in L.A. ESPN.com's Eric Williams notes the L.A. market accounts for 30% of the Chargers' "local revenue -- which includes advertising, sponsorships, club seats and suites" (
ESPN.com, 12/16). In L.A., Sam Farmer writes this is the "strongest indication yet that, despite rumors and speculation to the contrary, there won't be any NFL team in the nation's second-largest market by next fall." It is "almost inconceivable" that Chargers Chair & President Dean Spanos would "show his cards this early if he weren't entirely confident that the L.A. market will remain vacant" for the '15 season (
L.A. TIMES, 12/17). In California, Jim Alexander writes, "Why don’t I give the chance of a move in 2015 -- by anyone -- the same credence others do? Start with the league’s control of the situation." Add to that the "idea that only one L.A. stadium project is credible right now: Phil Anschutz’s Farmers Field plan." There are "no real options otherwise," and there is "even less chance of prying loose public money for a stadium project in greater L.A. than there is in San Diego" (
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 12/17). THE MMQB's Peter King wrote it "sounds unlikely" that the league will put a team in L.A. in time for '15, as there are "too many loose ends, too many problems with stadium sites." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, with the new personal conduct policy in place, will "begin spending significantly more time on issues" like L.A. A source said, "There’s a schism about what to do in Los Angeles. The big issue is not only whether it should be one or two teams, and where the team or teams will be, but also which franchise should get the first shot?" (
MMQB.SI.com, 12/16).
