City Of Los Angeles - Pro Football Rumors

NFL Won’t Vote On LA Proposals For 6 Months

April 6th, 2015 at 10:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though a total of three clubs have produced two plans for stadiums in Los Angeles, — the Rams have proposed a location in Inglewood while the Chargers and Raiders have announced a joint proposal for a stadium in Carson — the NFL isn’t likely to vote on either project for at least six months, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.

NFL executive Eric Grubman, who had lead the LA efforts, confirmed the league won’t vote on the issue at the owners’ meeting next month. “…[T]here’s been an awful lot of progress made on the two sites in Los Angeles, and it’s beginning to be tangible,” said Grubman. “But the fact is we’re not planning for a vote in May or any time soon. We have a process. It’s deliberate. There are steps that need to be taken, and I think that’s much more likely to be later in this calendar year at the soonest.”

Per Farmer, Grubman presented the latest on the LA situation to NFL owners last month in Phoenix, and he’ll do the same in San Francisco next month. Proponents of both the Inglewood and Carson plans will brief the owners on their respective proposals. But the league won’t vote on anything until both design and financing plans are finished, and a temporary stadium has been decided upon. As such, a vote isn’t likely until later this year, possibly in October or November.

West Notes: LA, Chargers, Broncos, Cardinals

April 5th, 2015 at 8:54am CST by Dallas Robinson

With several NFL teams (including the Chargers) interested in moving to Los Angeles, Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune looks at the concept of relocation fees, the money that a club will have to pay to the league in exchange for changing cities. Per Canepa, the owners haven’t formalized the price tag of moving just yet, but he hears that it could be anywhere from $250MM to $500MM. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains, commissioner Roger Goodell has the “discretion to adjust the transfer free based on the NFL’s interest in encouraging the move or discouraging the move,” so if the league is in favor of a team moving to LA, the fee could conceivably be (relatively) modest.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the West divisions:

In an in-depth piece on teams’ departures effect on cities, Jonathan Horn of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports cities that lose teams pay more to bring football back than keeping their existing franchises. Houston, which lost the Oilers after the 1996 season, topped the list in paying $519MM to spawn the Texans. St. Louis, Baltimore, Cleveland and Houston averaged just more than $225MM in costs for their respective new stadiums. So while a club like the Chargers could vacate its home city, its conceivable that San Diego fans could yearn for an NFL return in due time.
The Broncos made it a priority to bring in players who were familiar with new head coach Gary Kubiak‘s offensive scheme, a strategy that is especially evident along the offensive line, writes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Center Gino Gradkowski and guard Shelley Smith, acquired via trade and free agency respectively, each have a history with both Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison.
With this year’s draft less than four weeks away, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com examines who could be available to the Cardinals with the 24th pick, noting that the club could be in a position to take the best player available. Weinfuss points to Stanford tackle Andrus Peat and Kentucky edge rusher Bud Dupree as logical candidates for Arizona.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Goodell Talks L.A., Peterson, Investigations

March 25th, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Unsurprisingly, there were no earth-shattering revelations from commissioner Roger Goodell during his press conference at the league’s annual meetings today in Arizona. However, Goodell did answer questions about a number of pertinent issues, so let’s check out his answers on a few of those topics, with all links pointed toward the Twitter accounts of reporters in attendance:

The NFL isn’t necessarily focused on getting a team (or two) to Los Angeles in time for the 2016 season, but if that happens, it would have to be in temporary stadium. Goodell expects more discussion about L.A. possibilities at the league’s May meeting, adding that there’s “a great deal of work being done.”
The league’s relocation window is typically January 1 to February 15, but the NFL has discussed the possibility of moving that window forward, with the race to L.A. heating up. As Albert Breer of the NFL Network notes, there’s a good chance the Los Angeles situation crystallizes by the fall, in which case moving up the deadline for relocation could help to allow an L.A. stadium break ground by year’s end.
The NFL still appears to be handling Adrian Peterson‘s situation as if the league’s original suspension of the running back is in place. Goodell says he expects to meet with Peterson by April 15 to make a “determination on his status,” which is the same timeline initially announced by the league, before a judge ruled that the suspension should be overturned.
Asked if Ted Wells‘ DeflateGate investigation needs to be finished by the draft, Goodell said there’s no timetable for its completion. Obviously, if the Patriots were to lose a 2015 draft pick for the incident, the NFL would need to announce that within the next few weeks.
The Browns’ TextGate investigation appears poised to conclude sooner. Goodell said today that Troy Vincent is heading that case, and the commissioner expects to be brought up to speed on it within the next few days. The fact that GM Ray Farmer was reportedly texting his opinions to the team’s sideline may be a mitigating factor when determining discipline for the franchise, per Goodell.
Goodell said today that the league is looking into the pre-free-agency actions of “several” teams to determine if the NFL’s tampering rules were violated. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears that more than 20 teams are being investigated, though there’s no word on potential penalties for those clubs.
A decision on Greg Hardy‘s discipline – or lack thereof – is expected in the “near future.”

Latest On Los Angeles Relocation

March 23rd, 2015 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

At the league meetings this week in Phoenix, the subject of Los Angeles is expected to come to the forefront, with NFL executive vice president Eric Grubman set to report the league’s findings on relocation possibilities to owners this morning.

“This will be the first time that I’ll have the opportunity to give specific answers,” Grubman said on Sunday evening, per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “Up until now, I’ve had to walk a tight rope of giving a briefing without parting with any information that was confidential. No teams were out in the open. No sites were out in the open. Now we have a lot more to work with.”

As we wait to hear what Grubman and the league have to say, here are a few notes on the possibility of L.A. relocation, via the Twitter account of Albert Breer of the NFL Network (unless otherwise indicated):

The Rams, Chargers, and Raiders will be free to answer questions today about their potential Los Angeles plans, but it’s more likely that those clubs will address questions about their current home markets, with the league handling L.A. inquiries.
The Rams appear to have the strongest plan for relocation to L.A., but by the league’s criteria they’re the least qualified of the three teams to move there, which complicates the issue.
The likely outcome when the dust settles is two teams in Southern California, whether that means two in Los Angeles, or one in L.A. and one in San Diego. While there are many scenarios in play, one interesting one is the Rams moving to L.A. and the Raiders moving to St. Louis, with the Chargers staying put. That would leave Oakland out in the cold, and as Grubman noted in Bair previously-linked piece, Oakland has yet to get “specific” or “aggressive” in its plan to keep the Raiders.
The NFL is doing its own market assessment on San Diego, Oakland, and St. Louis, and is planning on making April visits to each city.
Giants co-owner John Mara predicted that at least one team will be in Los Angeles in 2016, and Breer agrees with that assessment, noting that the three-team competition makes for better projects. However, we likely won’t get any concrete answers this week — we should know more by October or November.

Latest On Kroenke’s Inglewood Proposal

March 22nd, 2015 at 9:57am CST by Rory Parks

The March NFL owners meetings begin tomorrow in Phoenix, and as Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times writes, Rams owner Stan Kroenke is bringing finished schematic plans for his proposed Inglewood stadium with him. Kroenke’s proposal would put a futuristic, highly-interactive and highly-integrated stadium in Los Angeles, which has not hosted an NFL franchise in 21 years.

Of course, the assumption is that Kroenke, if he were able to build his $1.86 billion palace, would bring the Rams to LA. But there are complications. For one, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, there are some in the league who want to “make returning football to Los Angeles a California solution — involving the Chargers and/or Raiders. Not the Rams.” The Chargers and Raiders joined forces last month and announced their plan to share a stadium in Carson.

Meanwhile, there has been progress in the efforts to build a new stadium on the riverfront in St. Louis, but as Thomas notes, the land acquisition and financing necessary for those plans to come to fruition are yet to be done. Kroenke, on the other hand, has already purchased the land in Inglewood, and while he is not quite ready to put a shovel in the ground, Farmer writes that the major pieces of the project are now fully drawn. It would take less than three years to build the stadium, and any team that relocates to Los Angeles could play in the Coliseum or Rose Bowl in the meantime.

One of the more interesting aspects about Kroenke’s proposal is that it is “two-team compliant.” Although Kroenke has enough money to fund the project on his own and does not need to partner with another franchise, the NFL believes Los Angeles is a two-team market and would like any stadium built in the area to be capable of hosting two clubs. Kroenke undoubtedly does not wish to share the wealth generated by a project for which he is assuming the risk by himself, but it is nonetheless an interesting twist in an already fascinating saga.

The league has said that no team would be allowed to relocate before the 2016 season, and it is unlikely that any vote to move a franchise–such a move would require support from three-quarters of the league’s 32 owners–would take place before the fall. But this week, what we have known for months will become even more clear: Los Angeles is primed to get an NFL team for the first time in over two decades, and while San Diego, Oakland, and St. Louis have all made progress in their efforts to keep the Rams out of Hollywood, Kroenke continues to lead the race.

L.A. Stadium Notes: Carson, Oakland, Coliseum City

March 21st, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Rams, Raiders, and Chargers are still the three teams being thrown around in rumors surrounding a relocation to the Los Angeles market. Last we checked in, Raiders owner Mark Davis mentioned that other cities would be involved as possible relocation destinations, including St. Louis should the Rams move to California.

Here are some recent updates surrounding the cities attempting to find a new team:

A proposal to build a new stadium in Carson that would be home to both the Chargers and Raiders took the next step today as a petition with 14,000 signatures was submitted in support of the initiative, reports Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times. That is more than twice the signatures needed to move forward, but less than the 22,000 a rival stadium proposal in Inglewood was able to gather earlier this year.
The City of Oakland and Alameda County will work together to keep the Raiders in Oakland, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. San Diego-based developer Floyd Kephart is trying to finance a project to redevelop the Coliseum complex, and with cooperation from the city, county, and ultimately the Raiders, the grounds could eventually include a new football stadium.
For more information about Kephart’s plan for “Coliseum City” including his personal credentials and his vision for keeping the Raiders in town, Matthew Arts of InsideBayArea.com profiles the project and the man who has become the driving force behind it.

Extra Points: NFLPA, Cutler, Raiders, Rams

March 6th, 2015 at 6:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

NFLPA President Eric Winston tweeted Thursday night that the deadline for nominations for Executive Director of the NFLPA had passed. Along with incumbent DeMaurice Smith, Winston listed Jim Acho, Sean Gilbert, Robert Griffith, Rob London, Art McAfee, John Stufflebeam, Andrew Smith and Jason Belser as candidates. The election for the position is scheduled for March 15.

According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, NFLPA executives are concerned about the internal lack of confidence in DeMaurice Smith. Cole reported that those execs are unsure how Smith will be able to lead going forward if he keeps the job, which he has held since 2009.

Here’s more from around the league:

Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets that, in the aftermath of the Brandon Marshall trade, “chances are” the Bears will keep Jay Cutler for at least another year. According to Breer, Chicago hasn’t brought up the possibility of a Cutler trade with other teams this offseason. Breer notes that the Bears have a “Cutler-friendly staff” with new offensive coordinator Adam Gase and quarterbacks coach Dowell Logains. Breer’s report runs contrary to one released Thursday by NFL.com colleague Ian Rapoport, who said that “teams certainly know that Cutler is available.”
The Raiders’ possible relocation to Carson, Calif., has been a major topic in recent weeks, and team owner Mark Davis said in a radio interview Friday that “other cities are possible relocation places,” Howard Balzer tweeted. Davis went on to state that he “wouldn’t say St. Louis is one of them.” Like the Raiders and Chargers, the Rams have been linked to the Los Angeles area. All three teams can terminate their leases and move after next season. If the Rams relocate, there have been rumblings about another NFL team playing in St. Louis in the future. If you’re to believe Davis, the Raiders won’t be that team.
Speaking of the Rams, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday that the team and right tackle Joe Barksdale are “too far apart” on a new deal. Thus, the 26-year-old will hit free agency when the market opens March 10. The four-year veteran has started 29 games over the last two seasons for St. Louis. Out of 84 qualifying tackles, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Barksdale as the 48th best in the league in 2014.

Extra Points: Spiller, Bryant, Maxwell

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Not long after acquiring LeSean McCoy, the Bills called C.J. Spiller to let him know that they would be parting ways this offseason. At this time, suitors with interest in Spiller include the Cardinals, Jets, Dolphins, and the 49ers, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Here’s more from around the NFL..

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that franchise tagging Dez Bryant doesn’t mean that the team will allow him to play the year out as they will continue to work on a long-term deal. Jones went on to say that the team really wants DeMarco Murray back and he can’t fault a player for seeing what his options are (link). Of course, there’s a significant gulf between what Murray is asking for and what Dallas has been willing to offer so far.
Seahawks free agent corner Byron Maxwell is signing with agent Alvin Keels, as Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Keels also represents Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor.
NFLPA attorney Arthur McAfee is trying to get the three nominations from player representatives to make a run the position of executive director, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).
Sean Gilbert is officially on the ballot in the NFLPA executive director election, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). John Stufflebeem is also on the ballot, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Right now, there are four candidates officially on the ballot: Stufflebeem, Gilbert, Andrew Smith, and DeMaurice Smith.
Peter King of TheMMQB.com explored the Los Angeles situation in depth this week, ultimately concluding that it’s far too early to know whether the Rams, Chargers, or Raiders – or some combination of the three – will ultimately move to L.A. However, there’s more momentum for a move than there has been in the last two decades, and NFL executive Eric Gruber expects to see at least one franchise in the country’s second-largest market within the next five years.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Extra Points: DeVito, L.A., Garcon, NFLPA

February 25th, 2015 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While hundreds of NFL writers will submit mock drafts within the next two months, few are more plugged in than Peter King of TheMMQB.com, whose first mock draft of the year lends credence to the idea that the Eagles have real interest in Marcus Mariota. King’s mock has the Eagles pulling off a trade with Washington to move up to the No. 5 spot and nab Mariota — Philadelphia gives up its first- and second-round picks this year, along with its first- and fourth-round picks for 2016, in the hypothetical swap.

Here’s more miscellany from around the NFL:

The Chiefs are expected to ask defensive lineman Mike DeVito to take a pay cut, reports Conor Orr of NFL.com. DeVito, who is set to earn a base salary of $3.75MM with a 2015 cap number of $5.4MM, could be cut by Kansas City if he decides he doesn’t want to accept a reduced salary.
As Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times reported late last night (via Twitter), Inglewood’s City Council unanimously approved Stan Kroenke‘s Hollywood Park stadium project. By approving the project, the Inglewood City Council can skip a couple steps, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk explains. City officials can now avoid putting the stadium proposal up for a public vote, and can avoid “potentially lengthy” environmental reviews. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) notes that Carson officials are expected to do the same thing with the Raiders/Chargers‘ stadium proposal.
There have been “zero talks” about Pierre Garcon‘s contract between his camp and the Washington front office, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That doesn’t mean discussions won’t happen at some point, but Keim notes there’s been nothing yet to indicate that any sort of move involving Garcon is coming.
An already crowded field got even more crowded today, as former NFL player Sean Morey emerged as the latest candidate to become executive director of the NFLPA, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
The latest MMQB.com piece from ex-Packers executive Andrew Brandt touches on a handful of interesting topics, as Brandt explores the L.A. issue, notes the different between a contract restructure and a pay cut, and points out that salary cap flexibility can often be created fairly easily.

L.A. Notes: Chargers, Raiders, San Antonio

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Rob DiRe

The NFL is serious about bringing the league back to Los Angeles, even though it hasn’t happened in time to get games there in 2015. Still, the future of the NFL is moving toward a return to one of the nation’s largest markets, writes Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II notes that this commitment is not in sentiment only, but in actual financial investment. Rooney is serving as chairman of the NFL committee looking into moving to L.A.

“People are actually investing dollars into getting something done,” said Rooney. “People can take that as maybe we’re more serious than we’ve been over the last decade or so.”

Here are some other notes surrounding the teams considering relocation to Los Angeles:

Chargers owner Dean Spanos and San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer met to discuss the team’s need to explore other options in case they cannot reach an agreement to stay at Qualcomm Stadium, according to Kevin Acee of the U-T San Diego (via Twitter). The team released a statement regarding the meeting between Spanos and Faulconer. The comes on the heels of a joint proposal with the Raiders to finance a stadium in Los Angeles.
While the Raiders and Chargers are currently working together on their journey towards relocation, the idea that the joint proposal will seal the deal is premature. The Raiders will need to see significant progress over the next 30 days in order to take this process to the next step, writes Matier and Ross of SFGate.com.
The Raiders may still be trying to head back to Los Angeles, but the city of San Antonio has not given up its efforts to bring the team to the state of Texas, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. “The concerted efforts of San Antonio’s public and private sectors remain focused on a long-term vision to bring the Raiders to the Alamo City,” according to a statement released by the city.
The Raiders may be the wild card in this whole relocation process, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (via Twitter). The Chargers and Rams are both looking to Los Angeles, but the Raiders could stay in Oakland, go to San Antonio, or even replace the Rams in St. Louis, in addition to the L.A. possibility.

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