Conventional wisdom holds that three teams — the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders, and the St. Louis Rams — are in the mix to move to Los Angeles. How true, or likely, that scenario is depends on whom you ask, but what’s indisputable is that the threat of moving to L.A. is spurring action in each city … which, of course, is what the NFL has wanted all along.
Start in San Diego, where the possibility of losing the Chargers has, at long last, galvanized the city into action. The Chargers are meeting with city and San Diego County officials in the coming weeks to discuss a replacement for Qualcomm Stadium, which opened in 1967.
This marks the first time that San Diego officials have actually reached the negotiating table with the team, and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is winning credit for actually spearheading the effort. Faulconer’s nine-person team developed a $1.1 billion financing proposal that, in theory, underestimates revenues and overestimates costs of a new stadium. Even so, both the Chargers and San Diego officials have said they could owe up to $1 billion under the plan. Negotiations will now begin in earnest.
A couple thousand miles to the east, negotiations are a bit more fractious. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and St. Louis officials are investigating the possibility of building a new stadium to replace the Edward Jones Dome, but six Missouri lawmakers have filed suit against that effort. The lawsuit, filed in Cole County Circuit Court, charges Nixon with misuse of state funds and violations of state statutes. The St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority has already spent $40 million on pre-planning efforts.
“I want nothing more than for the Rams to stay,” said state Rep. Rob Vescovo (R), one of the suit’s plaintiffs. “But I don’t think the governor has the authority to bury us under the additional debt without proper vetting.”
The current Los Angeles proposals with the most heat involve the Chargers and Raiders splitting a $1.7 billion Carson-area stadium, while Rams owner Stan Kroenke continues to pursue a site in Inglewood. A new team or teams could, in theory, move to Los Angeles as soon as the start of the 2016 season.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter.
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