Rams’ L.A. move approved by NFL owners; Chargers in limbo

By a vote of 30-2, NFL teams approved the long-anticipated move of the St. Louis Rams franchise to Los Angeles, a city that has been vacant by the league for more than 20 years.

The franchise confirmed the move Tuesday night.

Team owners met in Houston on Tuesday and approved Stan Kroenke’s plan to move the Rams franchise to Inglewood, Calif., into a proposed $1.9 billion stadium. The Rams moved from Los Angeles following the 1994 season but now are moving back.

The San Diego Chargers soon could eventually join them. They have one year to negotiate a deal to move into a shared stadium.

The meetings features a day’s worth of presentations and negotiations, but ultimately the tandem of the Chargers and Oakland Raiders were denied their bid to enter into a shared stadium in Carson, Calif. Chargers owner Dean Spanos, after it became clear he didn’t have the support in his co-bid, started to negotiate a deal with Kroenke, talks that reportedly are ongoing.

The Rams — and the Chargers, if they come to a deal — will pay a relocation fee of a whopping $550 million.

The Raiders are on the outside looking in, which is not surprising. It’s highly likely that the NFL will give the team concessions — either money for a new stadium locally or aid in relocating to another city. It’s likely some of the relocation money from the Rams and/or Chargers could be funneled to the Raiders for being left out in the cold.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm