City Of Los Angeles - Pro Football Rumors

Goodell On LA, Rams, London, Vegas, Saints

January 30th, 2015 at 7:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As is customary, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took questions from the media today during his Super Bowl press conference, and while a number of queries were unsurprisingly related to the DeflateGate controversy, Goodell also touched on some other noteworthy topics. Let’s take a look the highlights, via a transcript provided by the Seattle Times:

On the possibility of relocating a team to Los Angeles:

The ownership takes very seriously the obligation for us to vote on any serious matter, including relocation of a franchise. There’s a relocation policy that is very clear…[T]here have been no determinations of us going to Los Angeles, any particular team going to Los Angeles or going to any particular stadium. We have several alternatives that we’re evaluating from a site standpoint.

There are teams that are interested, but are trying to work their issues out locally. As a league, we haven’t gotten to that stage yet, and it will all be subject to our relocation policy. There are requirements in that policy, as you know, particularly as it relates to cooperation and working to make sure they solve the issues in their local market. I’m confident that all of that will be covered within the relocation policy and with our membership approval.”

On the Rams staying in St. Louis:

“…[W]e want all of our franchises to stay in the current markets. That’s a shared responsibility. That’s something that we all have to work together on. The league has programs, including stadium funding programs that we make available. We will work and have worked with communities, including St. Louis. We also will make sure that we’re engaging the business community and the public sector in a way that can help us lead to solutions that work in those communities…

(Rams owner) Stan (Kroenke) has been working on the stadium issue in St. Louis, as you know, for several years. They had a very formal process as part of their lease. They went through that entire process. It did not result in a solution that works for either St. Louis or the team. I don’t think the stadium is a surprise to anybody in any market that is having these issues. There has been quite a bit of discussion about it, and the St. Louis representatives seem determined to build a stadium.”

On placing a team in London:

“I would tell you that London has done not only everything that we expected, but more than we expected. They’re responding to the game better than we ever dreamed, with more enthusiasm, more passion…We want to continue to respond to that fan interest and if we do, we don’t know where it will go, but I think there is great potential in London for the NFL.”

On the viability of housing a team in Las Vegas:

“…I haven’t had any dialogue with officials in Las Vegas about how that could happen successfully for Las Vegas and for the NFL. A stadium would be a big component to that. I’m not sure that exists right now. I do understand the passion of the fans in Las Vegas and their interest in football.”

On the Saints ownership situation:

“I spoke to Tom Benson just the other day. He was going to the office as usual. He was in complete control and energetic, excited about getting to the office, asking about league issues. As you know, he’s been one of our more active owners in the league on various committees. They obviously have a dispute going on, which is always unfortunate. In this case it deals with succession as opposed to current management. Tom Benson is a man of great integrity and a man that is enthusiastic about the NFL, the Saints and New Orleans and somebody that has demonstrated to me he’s got complete control over what he’s doing to make sure that organization goes in the right direction.”

On the Bills’ need for a new stadium:

“I do believe that a stadium long term is going to be needed in that marketplace. I’m from western New York. I love Ralph Wilson Stadium, but it’s got to compete against a lot of these new stadiums that have a lot of very important features that that stadium doesn’t have. So they are going through that process. We will certainly work with them, cooperate with them, and if we can be helpful, we will.”

On the Chargers’ need for a new stadium:

“They do need a new stadium for the Chargers to be successful there long term. It’s one of the oldest stadiums in the league, if not the oldest stadium in the league…I’m glad to hear (the mayor of San Diego) has got a task force going. But they have been working at this for 12 years, and it’s something that we need to see tangible results sooner rather than later.”

West Notes: Rams, Schofield, Broncos

January 28th, 2015 at 10:43pm CST by Zachary Links

A glance at the AFC and NFC West..

Keeping the Rams in St. Louis would require a “spectacular effort,” Andrew Leonard, chairman of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission said, according to David Hunn of The Post-Dispatch. “There’s no question about it, they’d rather be in Los Angeles, in my mind,” Leonard said. The Rams notified the commission earlier this week that they will shift to a year-to-year lease agreement for their use of the Edward Jones Dome.
Seattle linebacker O’Brien Schofield insists that he’s no longer dwelling on the way things ended with the Cardinals, as Kent Somers and Zach Buchanan of The Arizona Republic write. “That used to drive me crazy thinking about it,” Schofield said, “because I felt I had done enough for the organization that I would have got more decency of how they let me go. But it’s whatever. I’m a Super Bowl champ. They had to see me twice here. They didn’t want to speak to me the first year and I was fine with that.”
The Broncos have hired Joe Woods as their new defensive backs coach, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post (on Twitter). Woods previously served as the defensive backs coach of the Raiders, Vikings, and Buccaneers.
The Raiders are expected to hire Stetson offensive line coach Tim Holt as their assistant offensive line coach, a source told Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Holt worked with Oakland offensive line coach Mike Tice previously.

Rams Go Year-To-Year On Dome Lease

January 26th, 2015 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Rams have notified the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission that they will shift to a year-to-year lease agreement for their use of the Edward Jones Dome, according to R.B. Fallstrom of The Associated Press. With rumors swirling about a potential move to Los Angeles, it was viewed as a formality that the franchise would transition into this more flexible arrangement in advance of Wednesday’s deadline to do so.

A year-to-year agreement, which allows the team to extend its lease with its home field one year at a time, is currently the arrangement that the Chargers and Raiders have for their respective stadiums. Unlike the Rams though, those clubs don’t have a potential exit strategy in place. Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced three weeks ago that he intends to build an NFL stadium in Inglewood, California, and moving the club’s agreement at the Edward Jones Dome to a year-to-year arrangement gives the Rams the flexibility to relocate to Los Angeles as soon as 2016.

Of course, the city of St. Louis responded to Kroenke’s announcement by unveiling a stadium plan of its own, and there’s certainly no guarantee that the Rams are going anywhere anytime soon. But as Albert Breer of NFL.com writes today, Kroenke’s stadium proposal has created the most viable path to L.A. the NFL has seen for quite some time.

According to Breer, Kroenke’s announcement, which he ran by Roger Goodell and NFL officials in December, was “met with quiet applause at the league office.” The idea that the Rams could be playing in Los Angeles in 2016, and in Kroenke’s new Inglewood stadium by 2018, not only isn’t far-fetched — it’s trending toward becoming a likelihood, per Breer, who adds that the Rams owner is open to the idea of involving a second team – perhaps the Chargers or Raiders – as part of the project.

The next major step for Kroenke and the Rams is to turn in to the city of Inglewood the 8,500 signatures necessary to set up a public vote on re-zoning the land where the stadium will be built, writes Breer, noting the club already has those signatures ready to go.

Rams Notes: FAs, Stadium, Los Angeles

January 13th, 2015 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The threat of possible 2016 relocation to Los Angeles is looming over the Rams, but general manager Les Snead doesn’t expect that to have a real impact on the team’s pursuit of free agents this winter, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.

“What you’re finding is, I think as you guys know, money’s No. 1 and it’s usually who’s coaching there next,” Snead said. “We’ve gotten to this era of free agency where especially with the window of early negotiation, players aren’t taking visits any more.”

While it’s not entirely true that free agent visits are a relic of the past, Snead is probably right that a player’s salary and the team’s head coach are more important factors for players looking for a new club than the city is. If the possibility of a move to Los Angeles becomes more realistic over the next couple months, we can look forward to finding out this March whether or not that’s indeed the case.

Here’s more on the Rams:

Speaking of the Rams’ potential relocation, if the team does head to Los Angeles, the USC Coliseum looks like the best bet to be the franchise’s temporary home until a new stadium is constructed, according to Eloy Yndigoyen of the Daily Trojan (hat tip to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com takes a look at possible relocation from the perspective of St. Louis officials, speaking with Dave Peacock, one of the executives spearheading the city’s stadium plan. Peacock admits that the future of the Rams may be out of his and the city’s hands to a certain extent, but that his group intends to move forward with the St. Louis stadium plan in hopes of either working something out with the Rams, or with the NFL for another team.
The Rams aren’t likely to go out and spend significant money on high-priced veterans in free agency, but the team is at a point where it can use free agency to add complementary veterans to its young core, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.

St. Louis Unveils Plan For New Stadium

January 9th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Luke Adams

This week opened with news that Rams owner Stan Kroenke intends to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, and before the week was out, the city of St. Louis announced today that it has plans of its own for a new stadium. As Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com details, St. Louis’ plan calls for the construction of a 64,000-seat, open-air stadium on the north St. Louis riverfront, about a half-mile from the Gateway Arch.

The proposed stadium, announced today by Governor Jay Nixon‘s team of former Anheuser-Busch president Dave Peacock and local attorney Bob Blitz, would be constructed by 2020 and would cost between $860MM and 985MM. Of that total, a little less than half ($400-450MM) would come from private financing – the NFL and team ownership – while the remaining $460-535MM would be provided by public sources, according to the proposal. The state and city already pay annual fees toward the debt on the Edward Jones Dome, so while those figures may look daunting, Peacock suggests the burden on Missouri taxpayers wouldn’t necessarily increase.

“The new stadium will impose no new tax burden on taxpayers in the local region and the state of Missouri,” Peacock said. “We are confident that the money is available in such a way that it will not add an incremental burden on our community and if anything the net result we’d incur on this investment is positive for the community.”

While the St. Louis team sounded optimistic about its plan, it’s worth noting that the Rams weren’t involved in the announcement. As Wagoner writes, the team issued a statement today saying it had seen the plans and will review them. So far, Kroenke hasn’t shown much willingness to engage with St. Louis leaders about how to keep the Rams in town. The team’s lease at the Edward Jones Dome can be changed to a year-to-year arrangement this offseason, and if the NFL gets on board with his Los Angeles plan, St. Louis’ proposal may not be enough to keep the franchise.

If the Rams do relocate, it’s possible that the St. Louis stadium plan could move forward at some point for another NFL franchise, particularly since the project’s leaders hope to land an MLS team for the new stadium as well. But considering what a long and complicated process relocation and/or expansion can be, keeping the Rams remains the city’s top priority for now. Once Kroenke and the Rams review the new proposal, we should get a clearer picture of what the owner’s intentions are.

NFC West Rumors: Fitzgerald, Rams, Warner

January 8th, 2015 at 6:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Larry Fitzgerald‘s agent, Eugene Parker, has had positive preliminary contract talks with the Cardinals, sources tell Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic. Fitzgerald, who just completed his eleventh season, is due an $8MM bonus if he’s on the roster on March 17. Fitzgerald has to decide if wants to continue his career in Arizona, and if so, how big a pay cut he would be willing accept. Cards GM Steve Keim has said that he won’t cut the former Pro Bowler, but he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of trading him. A look at the NFC West..

Vic Fangio would target Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator and Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator if he is promoted to head coach of the 49ers, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Shanahan would appear to have two horses in the race when it comes to the 49ers’ offensive coordinator gig as father Mike Shanahan has also interviewed for the head coaching position.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke isn’t taking calls from St. Louis officials, so they’re now working directly with the NFL to try and keep their team, as Arash Markazi of ESPN.com writes (with help from The Associated Press). “After a while, you sort of get the hint,” said Jeff Rainford, the mayor’s chief of staff. City and state officials firmly believe that the Rams can succeed in St. Louis, but if they won’t stay, the city is prepared to try and lure another team.
If the Cardinals had wanted to replace Ryan Lindley with Kurt Warner for their playoff run, he would have been open to it. “There was a scenario where I would have considered it,” Warner said on the Dan Patrick Show, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “I don’t know what I would have done.” The 43-year-old Warner said he talked to Arians and GM Steve Keim “in passing” but that he doesn’t think they were ever seriously interested in bringing him back. But the veteran QB was interested enough that he talked to his family about it, and they were supportive.

Extra Points: Shanahan, Packers, Draft

January 7th, 2015 at 10:54pm CST by Zachary Links

A source indicated to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that if Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn gets a head coaching job, he’ll try to hire Kyle Shanahan away from the Browns to be his offensive coordinator. Cole adds there’s a good chance Quinn’s landing spot will be with the Jets. More from around the NFL..

It’s extremely unlikely that the Packers will grant another team permission to interview Eliot Wolf, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).
The Texans have granted the Eagles permission to interview director of pro personnel Brian Gaine for their GM spot, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Rams owner Stan Kroenke says that he plans to build a stadium in Los Angeles on spec, but NFL owners doubt that he’d actually go ahead and do that, according to Brett Schrotenboer of USA Today Sports. It’s far to risky of a move for a billionaire like Kroenke and it seems like many feel that he is looking for leverage in St. Louis above all else.
University of Louisville junior safety James Sample told Lars Hanson of 247 Sports (on Twitter) that he will forego his senior year and enter the 2015 Draft.
Junior running back Dee Hart is leaving Colorado State to declare for NFL Draft, as Mike Brohard of the Reporter-Herald writes. Hart sent his paperwork into the NFL but has yet to receive a draft grade. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder doesn’t have ideal size, but he profiles as a tough downhill runner. The Alabama transfer played only one season for Colorado State, leading the team with 1,275 yards rushing while scoring 16 touchdowns.
Mike Shanahan would create a buzz, but Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group says he’d be a poor choice for the Raiders. Thompson notes that the 62-year-old coach hasn’t won anything significant since John Elway was his quarterback and he’s coming off of an ugly situation with Washington.
Former Bears Director of College Scouting Greg Gabriel had great things to say about Chris Ballard, a finalist for the Bears‘ vacant GM position. “He’s very astute, very smart, excellent evaluator and he’s had the experience in the NFL of working on the college side and the pro side,” Gabriel told CSNChicago.com. “He knows the workings on both sides as far as the different scouting areas within the NFL.”

NFC West Notes: Rams, Los Angeles, Cardinals

January 6th, 2015 at 8:39pm CST by Zachary Links

By making an advance move to plant his flag in Los Angeles, Rams owner Stan Kroenke will mobilize the opposition, writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Chargers benefit from their proximity to Los Angeles and another team coming into that territory will take away from their bottom line. By firing the opening salvo, Kroenke is putting the Chargers on high alert. Beyond that, other owners are unhappy with his move to jump the line towards L.A. and with 24 votes needed to approve a relocation, he might have put himself behind the 8 ball. Here’s more out of the NFC West..

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com looks at the Cardinals‘ roster heading into the offseason and the team’s potential free agents. Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly sounds intent on signing a one-year deal, whether it’s with Arizona or another club. Linebacker Larry Foote, meanwhile, is considering retirement.
However, Urban writes that he is more focused on the Cardinals‘ free agent class following the 2015 season. Among those scheduled to be up after ’15: defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, quarterback Drew Stanton, wide receiver Michael Floyd, defensive end Frostee Rucker, and many more key players. GM Steve Keim will work to extend many of those players, but that could still signal an offseason of significant change in Arizona.
The Rams also have a number of key free agent decisions to make and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks it all down.

AFC Notes: Chargers, Roethlisberger, Ravens

January 6th, 2015 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

The notion of the Rams moving west to Los Angeles gained some steam with this week’s announcement that Rams owner Stan Kroenke intends to build an NFL stadium in Inglewood. However, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) says he was told Monday that Chargers owner Dean Spanos will attempt to block the Rams if they try to move to L.A., and believes he has the nine votes necessary to stop a move. We’re a long way from arriving at that point, but I’d be surprised if Kroenke attempted to move forward with a move if he didn’t believe he had the votes from ownership to approve it.

As they look to make additions to their offseason roster, the Chargers worked out two CFL players, offensive lineman Ben Heenan and defensive back Delvin Breaux, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link via ESPN’s Eric Williams). Heenan auditioned for the Lions on Saturday, while Breaux has now tried out for five clubs since December.
Asked about his contract status as he prepares to enter a contract year, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said today that he’d like to get an extension done sooner rather than later, but he’ll leave that up to his agent and the Rooney family (Twitter links via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
With New England and Baltimore prepared to square off in Saturday’s divisional playoff, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com revisits the Ravens‘ offseason decision to pursue and sign Steve Smith rather than fellow free agent receiver Julian Edelman.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Yates looks back on an offseason decision of his own, exploring the Bills‘ move to trade their 2015 first-rounder to move up and snag wideout Sammy Watkins. Recent reports have indicated former head coach Doug Marrone wasn’t too happy about that deal, and Yates concludes that Marrone was right to be upset.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Newman, McCloughan, Bradham

January 5th, 2015 at 11:44pm CST by Luke Adams

As Terence Newman nears potential free agency, the veteran cornerback will have to decide whether or not he’ll continue his playing career, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. While Newman would love a chance to compete for a Super Bowl, there’s also some appeal in going out on his own terms, as he explains.

“I think Barry Sanders did it best,” Newman said. “He just said, ‘Hey, this isn’t for me anymore.’ He was probably one of the only people that ever went out on his own terms; he wasn’t forced out age-wise or whatever. He just called it quits because he wanted to. He’s probably the only person I can think of that ever did that.”

Assuming Newman does decide to continue playing, another year with the Bengals is a possibility. The cornerback says he expects to be in contact with the team, adding “[we’ll] see what happens.” Here’s more from around the NFL:

The draft order has been set for picks 21 through 24 this year, as Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk details. Based on record and strength-of-schedule tiebreakers, it’ll be the Bengals at No. 21, followed by the Steelers, Lions, and Cardinals, respectively.
We heard on Monday morning that Washington has interest in hiring former 49ers GM Scot McCloughan to a front office role, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) reports that McCloughan actually has offers from at least three teams for prominent front office positions. McCloughan is “relishing” being his own boss at the moment, but may seriously consider taking a role with an NFL team, says La Canfora. Meanwhile, Michael Silver of NFL.com (Twitter links) says the Raiders courted McCloughan, but were unwilling to give GM Reggie McKenzie‘s decision-making power to McCloughan, who would only have been interested in the role if he were running the team’s football department.
Greg Roman, who is expected to land with another team as an offensive coordinator, definitely won’t be back with the 49ers, says Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who identifies a few possible candidates to oversee San Francisco’s offense in 2015.
After reporting on Monday morning that the Bills were interested in negotiating a new deal for newly-extension-eligible linebacker Nigel Bradham, Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Bradham has hired agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him.
Addressing his team’s defensive line and its inability to create a consistent pass rush, Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said today, “We need to improve the guys who are coming back here next year and continue to improve, and we need to infuse some new players, to be honest with you” (link via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer).
Nick Fairley‘s NFL future is largely tied to that of Ndamukong Suh, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, who explains that the Lions won’t have the ability to keep both defensive tackles this offseason.
In response to a report that Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, St. Louis officials released a statement today indicating that the city is “ready to demonstrate our commitment” to keeping the franchise in Missouri, per Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal (TwitLonger link).

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