A joint meeting of the NFL's finance and stadium committees has been called for Jan. 11 in N.Y., a "possible sign the Chargers won’t announce this week whether they plan to leave San Diego," according to Kevin Acee of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Team owners on those committees will "hear updates on the progress" in San Diego, Oakland and L.A., as well as other stadium situations. Even as the league and several owners continue to "discuss possible solutions in San Diego, one NFL source said there is no guarantee the Chargers won’t announce their decision before the Jan. 11 meeting." That source also said that it is "possible the Chargers could be given time beyond the Jan. 15 deadline" to move to L.A. (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/5). In L.A., Vincent Bonsignore notes the Raiders are "expected to file for relocation to Las Vegas as soon as their season ends." While nothing is "guaranteed, there is strong indication the Raiders will get the support they need -- especially with the NFL publicly conceding there is currently no viable plan in Oakland." There is, however, a way the situation "gets tricky," which is "why the NFL might be looking at alternate means with which to buy the Chargers more time while achieving multiple other objectives." Even if the Raiders' season ends Saturday with their Wild Card game against the Texans, it "remains unknown when all 32 NFL owners will converge to vote on their fate." The NFL could give "strong assurances to the Raiders they will be approved for Las Vegas, thus allowing them to relinquish their L.A. option to the Chargers to give the Chargers more time -- and peace of mind -- to work things out in San Diego" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 1/5).
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? In L.A., Farmer & Fenno note the NFL would "have to be creative" to extend the L.A. option deadline for the Chargers. An extension on it would "likely require a three-quarters majority vote of owners." Then again, the NFL is a "club that can make its own rules." One thing to consider is that the "final section of the L.A. agreement" gave NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell the "wide-ranging authority to 'interpret and implement' it as he sees fit" (L.A. TIMES, 1/5).
