The NFL “has begun the process of establishing a relocation fee for the team -- or teams -- that might move to L.A.” for the ‘16 season, according to Jim Thomas of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. NFL Exec VP/Business Ventures Eric Grubman said, “We’ve engaged an outside firm to help us look at various ways to analyze it. Which is not to say our finance staff is not capable of doing any of the analysis. But sometimes it’s good to have an independent mind take a look at it.” He said that the relocation fee “could vary from market to market.” Thomas noted it has been “estimated that the relocation fee for a Rams move back to L.A. could be in excess of” $500M (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/25). Sources said that should the Raiders and Chargers move to L.A., they would have to “pay the same amount, only split between the two of them.” ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner wrote while Rams Owner Stan Kroenke “could easily afford such a fee, if it rose to that level, it could be something he has to consider knowing it would affect how quickly he'd be able to realize the new value of the club after a move and investing heavily” in his own stadium project in Inglewood. Kroenke would have to “weigh that against a potential deal for a stadium in St. Louis that would undoubtedly come at a much cheaper price.” However, “there's no guarantee of what that final fee will be” (ESPN.com, 5/25).
