The clock "is winding down on the NFL's stated goal of making a decision in time to have professional football in the L.A. market by next season," and while many owners are "cryptic about which way they're leaning, clearly opinions are beginning to solidify," according to Sam Farmer of the L.A. TIMES. Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, who like other NFL owners will gather today in N.Y. for league meetings, "has lavishly praised the deep-pocketed" Rams Owner Stan Kroenke "for his willingness to be bold and take a risk on L.A." Kroenke wants to build a facility in Inglewood. But there is "another school of thought among the owners," some of whom believe that Chargers Chair Dean Spanos -- whose franchise has proposed a shared venue with the Raiders in Carson -- "should be rewarded for taking his time to scour his market to find a stadium solution." From the perspective of his fellow owners, he "has done that, even though many people in San Diego argue there are still options to be exhausted." Panthers Owner and Committee on L.A. Opportunities member Jerry Richardson "is believed to be a strong proponent of Spanos and the way he has gone about this process." Texans Owner and committee member Bob McNair "seems to subscribe to that philosophy too, although he has not publicly said which plan he prefers." McNair yesterday said that a major factor in the decision "will be which team or teams have satisfied the relocation guidelines." Farmer notes that is "code for turning over every stone." On the topic of two teams moving to L.A., some owners believe that this "could happen sequentially, while others think it would have to happen simultaneously so one club would not have a clear marketing advantage over the other" (L.A. TIMES, 10/7). NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said, "We certainly have turned to the political part of this process" ("NFL Total Access," NFL Network, 10/6).
CLOSING IN ON NEXT YEAR: In L.A., Vincent Bonsignore writes the more people "talk to owners and staff members, the more you get the sense there is an inevitability factor emerging as it relates to the NFL returning to L.A." by '16. The question now "is how do you decide between" Kroenke’s Inglewood plan and Spanos and Raiders Owner Mark Davis’ Carson plan? (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 10/7). Steelers President and Committee on L.A. Opportunities member Art Rooney II: "We have a good chance of getting something done by January." Colts Owner Jim Irsay: "There's a high likelihood, greater percentage chance that there will be NFL in L.A. next year." He hinted that the question "might be answered" by Spanos and Kroenke "hammering out a deal." Irsay: "This thing should hopefully come to a conclusion early in 2016 in January in that range. As owners, we have to look [at] what's best for the National Football League and what makes the most sense and exactly who moves and where they move" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 10/7). Irsay added, "If we have to end up sorting it out and voting ... that may be how it gets resolved. But hopefully there will be a lot of discussion behind the scenes where it works out that all parties are happy" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/7). Spanos yesterday when asked if he would be open to sharing the Rams' proposed stadium said, "Carson is where our focus is. Carson is where we think the best site is" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 10/7). Meanwhile, National Car Rental this morning formally announced plans to buy the naming rights to a prospective new NFL stadium in St. Louis.
PUTTING A PLAN TOGETHER: USA TODAY's Lorenzo Reyes cites owners yesterday as giving "no clear indication who has the inside track." Jaguars Owner Shahid Khan said, "Everyone wants to make sure it’s the right decision and the right set of circumstances. The best solution might be something that’s not even presented. There might be Plan C." Reyes notes stadium construction "remains one of the biggest obstacles in finalizing the process." Though Khan’s comment "puts a bit of a question mark on the Carson and Inglewood projects, several owners expressed optimism over the amenities and possibilities of the existing projects." Irsay: "The excitement of coming back and having a new stadium -- and the potential that the new stadium ... could be kind of like an NFL Disneyland. The traction in that is really exciting." Jones: "Our No. 1 focus should be a project in L.A. that wows them...we have in place a couple of projects that would do what I’m talking about" (USA TODAY, 10/7).
ISSUES STILL REMAIN: ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported NFL owners this week are discussing the "relocation fee" for whichever team eventually moves to the L.A. market. The league has the position that the L.A. market "belongs to all 32 teams so that any team that wants to move there has to basically pay for the privilege." Graziano: "What they don't know is how much, so they’re going to talk about that this week. It's going to be something in the hundreds of millions of dollars that these teams will have to fork over.” ESPN's Jim Trotter noted another issue is stadium financing, as there is a "cap on stadium credits that the owners can get" in the CBA. Trotter: "I’ve been told for L.A., they have a specific carve-out. But some union folks are saying those credits have been exhausted, which means now the league has to go back to the players and say we need more money for a stadium in L.A. What do you think the union’s going to do at that point? It’s going to say, ‘What can I get in return for giving you more money?’ So the league wants to have everything lined up before it goes into L.A., and these are the little things that get in the way” (“NFL Insiders,” ESPN, 10/6).
