Raiders’ Move To San Diego Is “Very Viable”
The respective futures of the Chargers and Raiders are still very much in the air, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, a potential Raiders’ move to San Diego is “very viable.” The Chargers and Rams, of course, are discussing the possibility of a Los Angeles partnership, and if the Chargers do end up following the Rams to LA, Schefter says the Raiders could move to San Diego in 2017 or 2018. San Diego has already been floated as a possible landing spot for the Raiders, but Schefter’s report indicates that those rumors could have some serious traction.
The Raiders are expected to remain in Oakland for at least the 2016 season, as Schefter and Matt Artz and Rebecca Parr of the Contra Costa Times write. Per Artz and Parr, Raiders brass and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority will meet behind closed doors tomorrow to discuss a lease extension. As Artz and Parr indicate, Raiders owner Mark Davis wants the extension while he continues to negotiate with city leaders for a new stadium in Oakland.
In a separate piece for InsideBayArea.com, Artz says that Raiders and Oakland officials have the same strategy for financing a new stadium: “entice a developer to help pay for it in return for cheap land and a piece of the team.” However, it is doubtful whether that strategy will be enough to help fund what the Raiders believe will be a $900MM project, especially since the Raiders’ insistence on preserving most of the stadium site for tailgating-friendly surface parking spaces limits any developer’s ability to turn a profit. On the other hand, Artz points out that the Raiders’ options outside of Oakland, including San Diego, have some major drawbacks. For instance, if Davis were to pursue a move to San Diego, Artz says that public stadium subsidies would be far from a sure thing, which could take that option off the table entirely.
But Schefter’s source is apparently more optimistic than Artz. And although the terms “Los Angeles Rams” and “Los Angeles Raiders” are rather familiar to many football fans, that source suggests that everyone might have to get used to saying “San Diego Raiders” in the near future.
Chargers, Rams Begin Talks On L.A. Union
7:24pm: A deal for the Chargers and Rams to become partners in Inglewood exists, although it won’t be as promising as the one that would’ve unfolded if the Chargers and Raiders’ Carson project won the owners’ vote, Bonsignore reports.
“The Chargers have to decide what exactly they want,” a source told Bonsignore. “There is a deal to be made. One that will help the Chargers moving forward. But it might not be exactly what they envisioned when they set out on this journey. They have to decide if it’s the one they want to pursue moving forward.”
Sources indicated to Bonsignore the Rams are open to being friendly partners with the Chargers, even if the latter wound up in second place in this derby.
6:48pm: A Rams-Chargers union in Inglewood, Calif., could be coming within the week. Staffers from the two sides started talks Monday morning and are working to finalize a deal, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.
The NFL is monitoring this situation, according to La Canfora (on Twitter), and will mediate if necessary.
La Canfora expects this matter to be resolved this week. Expediency on the Chargers’ part seems to be the mission, with the Rams already beginning to re-brand themselves in Los Angeles.
The teams announced a meeting did occur but aren’t disclosing any details on it or subsequent summits, per 10News’ Ben Higgins (on Twitter).
Conversely, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News reports (on Twitter) today’s meeting was more of a “fact-finding” exercise as opposed to a negotiation on a Los Angeles partnership. The Los Angeles reporter also hears (Twitter link) no further talks are scheduled between the two franchises.
A Chargers decision on where they’ll play in 2016 isn’t due until March 23, but the sides are expected to reach an agreement soon. Though it will take a few days to hash out, as Bonsignore notes (on Twitter), since the sides are just now meeting face to face about this seminal matter.
Most owners expect the Chargers to opt to be the second team in Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood stadium instead of going back to San Diego.
The Raiders could still play into this, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointing out Kroenke probably will see what kind of terms Mark Davis would agree to before reaching an accord with Dean Spanos. The PFT reporter argues against reported expediency projections, noting the Jan. 2017 deadline on the Chargers’ ultimate decision on whether they’ll relocate doesn’t provide much incentive for these current talks to progress.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Latest On Chargers’, Raiders’ Relocation Possibilities
The latest on the NFL’s return to Los Angeles and what it could mean for San Diego and Oakland, courtesy of the LA Daily News’ Vincent Bonsignore:
- Representatives from the Rams and Chargers will meet Monday to discuss the possibility of the Bolts joining the Rams in LA in time for the 2016 season. It’s unlikely either of the two owners (the Rams’ Stan Kroenke and the Chargers’ Dean Spanos) will attend the meeting. It will instead be a powwow between the teams’ staff members. Regardless, in order for the Chargers to play in LA next season, they’ll have to reach an agreement with the Rams in the next two weeks. That’s the likely scenario, sources tell Bonsignore, who reports that the Chargers are motivated to leave San Diego behind and team up with the Rams in LA as soon as possible.
- If the Chargers relocate, that would create the possibility of another franchise taking their place in San Diego. That franchise could be the Raiders, who Bonsignore doubts would face a significant relocation fee (if any) if they end up leaving Oakland for San Diego (Twitter link).
- Where would the Raiders play in San Diego? The club might be open to making use of a renovated Qualcomm Stadium, tweets Bonsignore.
Extra Points: Eagles, 49ers, Titans, Raiders
Though the hire has already been widely-reported, the Eagles still have to work out a contract with new head coach Doug Pederson, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Now that Kansas City (Pederson’s current club) has been eliminated from the postseason, McLane expects a deal to come together soon, with a possible press conference on Tuesday.
As the Eagles prepare to bring in a new head coach, they are also bracing to lose an assistant, as quarterbacks coach Ryan Day is expected to follow Chip Kelly to San Francisco, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). According to Rapoport, Day will either serve as QBs coach or offensive coordinator with the 49ers.
Let’s take a look at some more news from around the league:
- After removing the interim label from head coach Mike Mularkey‘s title earlier today, the Titans (with Mularkey’s input) have begun to make decisions on the rest of their staff. Per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Tennessee will retain defensive assistant Dick LeBeau, linebackers coach Lou Spanos, assistant offensive line coach Mike Sullivan, and assistant special teams coordinator Steve Hoffman. I’d guess that the fates of the remainder of the staff should be announced relatively shortly.
- The Chargers appear to be on the verge of a move to Los Angeles, and a source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link) that it’s highly doubtful that NFL owners would block the Raiders if they seek to relocate to San Diego. Bonsignore also notes (link) that Chargers owner Dean Spanos signed an agreement waiving his rights to San Diego if his club moves to LA.
- The total outlay by the St. Louis stadium task force in its efforts to keep the Rams? $16.2MM, report David Hunn and Nicholas J.C. Pistor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
West Notes: Los Angeles, 49ers, Maclin
The Carson presentation drew laughs from the owners once Disney Chairman Robert Iger mentioned how he’d paid the owners plenty of money over the years. That comment, and a Jerry Jones joke following Iger’s exit from the room, helped escalate the downward-trending Carson initiative’s demise, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.
“He said he paid us. Last time I checked, that money is coming from Disney shareholders, not him,” Jones told his fellow owners during Tuesday’s relocation summit in Houston, per Farmer.
The owners voted 19-13 on whether their votes would be secret. After two votes, the Inglewood project received 21, three shy of the majority needed to relocate the Rams.
Roger Goodell then ushered Stan Kroenke, Dean Spanos and Mark Davis into a private room for an hour-long negotiation. Upon the trio’s return, Davis announced the Raiders were pulling out of the race, Farmer reports. The agreement that gives the Chargers a one-year window to decide on relocating to Inglewood had been discussed for more than six months.
Farmer also notes Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who had been vocal about his support for the Carson project and helped attach Iger to it, was silent most of the day.
Here is some more on Los Angeles and the latest on the Western-stationed franchises.
- With economists estimating the Chargers can expect three to five times more revenue in Los Angeles than in San Diego, a source tells Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune “at least 10 teams” would be lining up to take the joint-tenant deal in Inglewood if the Chargers wouldn’t. Acee also reports there’s talk of a bit more than the $100MM the NFL offered to help keep the Raiders and Chargers in their respective cities available to the Chargers if they were to make things work in San Diego. Spanos could leverage San Diego with the deal the Chargers would be in line to receive alongside the Rams if in fact San Diego is serious about keeping the franchise, Acee writes. But San Diego now will entertain the notion of bringing another team to the city.
- Patriots president Jonathan Kraft said Kroenke will be spending between $3 billion and $3.5 billion to relocate the Rams, factoring in the $550MM relocation fee and the Rams’ new stadium (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, on Twitter).
- Several members of the 49ers‘ staff from last season has reportedly packed up and moved their things out of the team’s facility, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports (on Twitter). Chip Kelly met with defensive coordinator Eric Mangini, per Maiocco, but the future of the San Francisco coaching staff is highly uncertain at this point. Kelly will meet with running backs coach Tom Rathman next week, Maiocco tweets. The former 49ers fullback’s been on the 49ers’ staff since 2009 and had to instruct one of the most injury-ravaged units in the NFL this season.
- Former Eagles quarterbacks coach Ryan Day is under consideration for the job of 49ers offensive coordinator, ESPN reports (via Maiocco). A former New Hampshire player under Kelly, Day joined Kelly with the Eagles last season after being Boston College’s OC in 2013-14.
- Both Eagles defensive line coaches, Jerry Azzinaro and Mike Dawson, are the most likely coaches to follow Kelly from Philadelphia, Maiocco reports. Azzinaro’s been Kelly’s D-line coach for the past seven seasons, doing so at Oregon from 2009-12 and with the Eagles since 2013.
- Maiocco also reports (via Twitter) the 49ers could be considering Buccaneers tight ends coach Jon Embree for a spot on their staff if Dirk Koetter doesn’t retain him. The Colorado head coach in 2011-12, the 50-year-old Embree’s coached tight ends for the Chiefs, Washington, Browns and Bucs since 2006. He’s been with Tampa Bay since 2014.
- A mutual interest in acquiring players with length and size could help Kelly and GM Trent Baalke work well together with the 49ers, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch notes.
- The Chiefs declared Jeremy Maclin active for today’s game against the Patriots, but their top wideout reportedly had trouble walking during the week of preparation, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Maclin did not practice this week due to the high-ankle sprain he suffered last Saturday against the Texans.
Dean Spanos, Stan Kroenke To Meet Next Week
4:37pm: As noted below, Spanos and Kroenke will indeed meet soon. That sit-down will happen next week, a league source tells Bonsignore (Twitter link).
2:14pm: The Chargers technically have until March 23 to decide whether or not they’ll join the Rams in Los Angeles for the 2016 season, but the team’s decision is expected well before then, writes Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. According to Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com, the Chargers would like to decide within the next two or three weeks whether a deal can get done with the Rams, meaning there could be some sort of resolution around the time of Super Bowl 50.
[RELATED: Which teams voted no on Rams’ Inglewood proposal?]
While most NFL team owners expect the Chargers to ultimately make the move to Los Angeles, owner Dean Spanos reached out to San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer on Thursday, months after disengaging from stadium talks with the city, according to Acee. Spanos and Faulconer didn’t set a time or date for a subsequent meeting, but the mayor tells Acee that the tone of the call, which lasted about five minutes, was cordial.
“I said very clearly to him I would welcome the opportunity to get together at his earliest convenience,” Faulconer said on Friday. “I told him we can discuss a variety of different options on how to move forward.”
One league source suggests to Bonsignore that it makes sense for the Chargers to commit to San Diego for a year, rather than rushing into an L.A. deal with the Rams: “See where it gets you. Have a vote. Get finality.” In theory, that’s probably good advice, but Spanos and company may not want to fall behind the Rams and let Stan Kroenke‘s club get a leg up in L.A.
So even though San Diego remains a possibility for the Chargers, the team is expected to meet with the Rams soon, and according to Acee, multiple sources expect the Chargers to reach an agreement in principle with the Rams before seriously re-engaging the city of San Diego.
The possibility that Kroenke will play hardball with Spanos and the Chargers doesn’t look like a potential roadblock for the Los Angeles negotiations, according to Bonsignore, who writes that the Rams owner promised his fellow owners that he will “work fairly and honorably” with Spanos. NFL sources tell Bonsignore that the Chargers will essentially have 30 other partners in discussions with Kroenke, plus commissioner Roger Goodell, ensuring that they’ll avoid any pitfalls or surprises and will get a reasonable deal from the Rams.
As we wait to see which direction the Chargers go, let’s round up a few more items related to Los Angeles, the Rams, the Chargers, and the Raiders….
- Sam Farmer and Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times conducted an exclusive Q&A session with Kroenke discussing the Rams‘ relocation and the Inglewood project.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com is unconvinced that the Raiders will end up anywhere expect in the Bay Area, writing that the NFL will be reluctant to approve a move to San Diego if the Chargers head to Los Angeles, since the league won’t want its L.A. project undermined. La Canfora also believes that Texans owner Bob McNair and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would work hard to keep the Raiders out of San Antonio. For what it’s worth, other reporters have suggested the league would be okay with three teams in Southern California.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also explores the Raiders‘ options, suggesting that San Antonio is likely more of a leverage play than a realistic landing spot for the franchise.
Latest On Raiders’ Relocation Options
On Tuesday, the Raiders were promised a $100MM consolation package when their Carson stadium plan was not approved. That money, we were told, would be given to the Raiders if they wound up staying in Oakland and building a new stadium. As it turns out, they might still be able to put that money toward a new stadium even if it’s outside of Oakland.
[RELATED: Mark Davis: Raiders interested in other cities]
League sources tell Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News (on Twitter) that there is “market flexibility” with the $100MM grant. The sense is that if the Raiders can’t work out something in Oakland but can work out something in San Diego, then that $100MM will be available to them (link).
Of course, even if the Chargers end up leaving San Diego, that’s not the only potential non-Oakland landing spot for the Raiders. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports identifies four possible cities for relocation besides San Diego, though he does place the Chargers’ current home at the top of his list. And sources tell Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com that Mark Davis and the Raiders would “take a serious look” at their options in San Diego if the Chargers head to Los Angeles.
Still, San Antonio is another city that has real interest in the Raiders, as Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle details. Former San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Vikings owner Red McCombs confirms that he talked to Davis this week, adding that San Antonio has “got the whole program put together” for a possible Raiders move.
Unlike the city of St. Louis, whose mayor Francis Slay said this week that he currently has “no appetite” for pursuing another NFL team with the Rams leaving, San Antonio leaders are interested in bringing the NFL to the city. However, McCombs acknowledges that the interest will need to be mutual for Davis and the Raiders to consider moving to Texas.
“We still have to get them to want to come here,” McCombs said during an appearance on ESPN San Antonio. “[Davis] was born and raised there and he has a great feeling for the state of California. But it appears he is going to need to go somewhere.”
While there’s a decent chance that the Raiders will stay in Oakland for the 2016 season as the franchise assesses its options, there’s currently no lease in place for the team to play next season at O.co Coliseum, so many scenarios remain in play for ’16 and beyond. The Raiders are likely hoping the Chargers will make a quick decision so there will be some clarity on whether a spot in Inglewood alongside the Rams may be available a year from now.
Zach Links contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Which Teams Voted No On Rams’ Proposal?
On Tuesday night, 30 of the league’s owners voted in favor of the Rams‘ new project in Inglewood, California. Two owners, however, voted against the project. One might automatically think that the Chargers and Raiders were responsible for the two “no” votes, but other owners seem to think otherwise. Here’s more on that:
- There was a great deal of speculation that Bengals owner Mike Brown was one of two owners to vote nay on sending the Rams to Los Angeles. On Wednesday, Brown released a statement through his team’s website to refute those claims. “Stan Kroenke has put together an exceptional plan. The league to a man is excited about this prospect,” Brown said. “It’s a huge market..It’s a market that has changed dramatically since the NFL was last there. There’s no reason the NFL shouldn’t be successful there. Especially if we go about it the right way. The Stan Kroenke Plan for Inglewood is as well thought out and as aggressive in every way as the NFL could possibly wish.”
- Despite his claims, Mike Florio of PFT hears that other owners still believe that he cast a vote against the Rams move to L.A. During deliberations, Brown expressed caution about the project and explained that major revenues from the new stadium could jack up the league’s salary cap numbers. Brown is also generally against dramatic change, the source claimed.
- On Tuesday night, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) asked Chargers owner Dean Spanos whether he voted against the Inglewood project. “I voted for myself. If that’s what you’re asking me, yeah,” Spanos said. There’s still some ambiguity in Spanos’ answer, but it seems that the Chargers cast one of the “no” votes for the Inglewood project. If the denial from Bengals owner Mike Brown is accurate, then it would appear that the Raiders and Mark Davis cast the other vote against the Rams’ new stadium.
Mark Davis: Raiders Interested In Other Cities
After missing out on the opportunity to relocate to Los Angeles – at least for the time being – Raiders owner Mark Davis confirmed to David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) that he’s interested in cities besides Oakland.
[RELATED: NFL owners expect Chargers to move to L.A.]
There’s a good chance the Raiders will have to return to Oakland for at least the 2016 season, since there isn’t a lot of time to put together another viable solution. The team’s lease at O.co Coliseum has expired, but it should be possible to remain there on a year-to-year basis in the short term.
Still, the subtext of the statement issued by the team in the wake of the NFL’s Los Angeles decision suggested that the franchise certainly isn’t tied to Oakland for the long term — in fact, that statement didn’t mention the city at all.
“The Raiders congratulate Stan Kroenke and the Rams on their successful bid for relocation to Los Angeles,” The Raiders announced. “The Raiders will now turn our attention to exploring all options to find a permanent stadium solution. We thank fans throughout the Raider Nation for their unrivaled passion and support.”
According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Davis has grown frustrated with city leaders in Oakland. The Raiders’ top priority is to secure a long-term stadium somewhere, and Davis appears to be losing faith that it will happen in the Bay Area.
Cole suggests that San Antonio will be one market considered by Davis, since the idea of building a stadium between San Antonio and Austin has some appeal to him. Reports have indicated that the Raiders would also take a long look at San Diego if the Chargers relocate to Los Angeles. And, of course, if the Chargers stay in San Diego, the Raiders would have an opportunity to join the Rams in Inglewood a year from now.
One city not on Davis’ list of candidates is St. Louis, according to Hunn, who asked the Raiders owner about that possibility and was told “absolutely not.” That stance shouldn’t concern St. Louis mayor Francis Slay, who said Wednesday that he has “no appetite” for seeking another NFL team after the way the league dealt with the Rams and the city’s stadium proposal (link via The Asociated Press).
If the Raiders do build a new stadium in Oakland or elsewhere, Tuesday’s Los Angeles agreement will ensure that the NFL will provide an extra $100MM to accommodate that project.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Los Angeles Leftovers: Raiders/Chargers Notes
Earlier today, we rounded up several updates on Los Angeles relocation from the perspective of the Rams and their Inglewood stadium project. Of course, while the Rams have some sense of resolution now, the other two teams involved in the situation – the Raiders and Chargers – remain in limbo.
The Chargers will have to regroup and decide whether they want to attempt to work out a deal with Stan Kroenke at the Rams that puts them in Los Angeles for 2016. As for the Raiders, the official statement from the team in the wake of the NFL’s big Tuesday decision didn’t even mention Oakland, and owner Mark Davis alluded to finding a home for the franchise. So while the Raiders may end up back in Oakland in 2016, the club’s long-term future in the Bay Area is far from secure.
Here are a few updates on the Raiders’ and Chargers’ situation as those franchises look ahead to their next steps:
- If the Chargers end up deciding to move to Inglewood, the Raiders may zero in on San Diego, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter links). Bonsignore adds that there’s no chance the Raiders will try to move to St. Louis, and Jaguars owner Shad Khan told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) that his franchise won’t be heading to Missouri either.
- According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com, there are some indications that Chargers owner Dean Spanos will try to strike a deal with Kroenke and the Rams within the next month or two, but that’s not his first preference. King adds that it’s a long shot to think that the Inglewood stadium will ever be a real option for Mark Davis and the Raiders.
- Spanos, who will spend the next few weeks weighing his options, called the process “excruciating, for everyone,” per Bernie Wilson of The Associated Press. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), the Chargers brass was “floored” by Tuesday’s outcome.
- Spanos’ options if he tries to strike a deal with Kroenke will likely come down to putting up $500MM+ for the new stadium to become a partner in the project, or going in as a tenant, says La Canfora (Twitter links). As the CBS scribe observes, coming aboard as a tenant on an affordable lease would be more within Spanos’ price range, but he wouldn’t share in the wealth as much in that scenario.
- Per La Canfora (Twitter links), the Rams can’t sell PSLs and stadium naming rights, among other things, until February 15, 2017, unless they bring a second team aboard before then, so there’s incentive for Kroenke to get something done with Spanos and the Chargers.