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AFC Notes: Raiders, Chargers, Tucker

July 16th, 2015 at 9:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) heard from people in the know that it’s not out of the question for the Raiders to play two years in San Antonio, Texas while a stadium is built for them in Los Angeles. Here’s more from the AFC, including updates on the Los Angeles situation..

  • By a 6-3 vote, the San Diego City Council authorized $2.1MM to fund an expedited environmental review for a new stadium at the Mission Valley site, Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets. San Diego is working hard to find a way to keep the Chargers, though the allure of Los Angeles is strong.
  • Council members who voted in favor of the proposal endorsed that strategy, while council members in opposition called the accelerated environmental impact report an improper use of taxpayer money that wouldn’t help keep the Chargers, David Garrick of the Union Tribune writes. “People might say this is a fool’s errand,” councilman Scott Sherman said. “I still have faith with the right deal we can get the Chargers back here at the table. I think the NFL will tell the Chargers that ‘San Diego is committed, San Diego is ready to go and you guys need to come back to the table.’”
  • Stephen Gostkowski‘s new deal with the Patriots could provide a blueprint for the Ravens when it comes to their upcoming talks with kicker Justin Tucker, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun writes. Gostkowski, 31, has a longer track record than Tucker, but the Ravens kicker doesn’t take a back seat to anybody when it comes to accuracy. Tucker has been mum about his contract demands, saying only that he’d love to stay with the Ravens for his entire career. To make that happen, Zrebiec says the Ravens will likely need to eclipse the deal that the Patriots just gave Gostkowski.
  • The Browns will have a new director of player engagement in the near future. Jamil Northcutt, who has held the title since April 2014, and the franchise are expected to part ways in the coming weeks, a league source confirmed to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. Northcutt previously worked with Browns GM Ray Farmer as a player development coordinator for the Chiefs.

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.

Extra Points: Griffin, Glennon, DEA

November 23rd, 2014 at 9:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

Robert Griffin III has struggled since returning from injury this season, and Washington’s head coach Jay Gruden has the power to bench the former first-round pick, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com. In the past, Griffin had been protected by ownership, but patience could be running thin within the organization.

Here are some other notes from around the NFL:

  • Speaking of quarterbacks getting benched, Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times argues that the Buccaneers need to return Josh McCown to the sidelines. McCown is not playing well, and although Mike Glennon has failed to perform well either, the young quarterback at least deserves a chance to prove himself as the team’s starter.
  • The DEA has continued its investigation of NFL medical staffs this week, focusing on the alleged mishandling of prescription drugs, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Although the investigation is ongoing, there will likely not be any more post-game searches.
  • San Antonio is a long shot to obtain the Raiders from Oakland, but they will still attempt to lure an NFL franchise to their city, writes Tom Orsborn of ExpressNews.com.“I’ve seen stranger things happen when parties stay in the game. If staying in the game is a low-cost option, I wouldn’t walk away if I were San Antonio,” said Marc Ganis, a league consultant and president of SportsCorp. “Now, that doesn’t mean I’d pour lots of resources into it, or raise people’s hopes dramatically. But I certainly wouldn’t walk away, because you never know what happens in these things. These things can turn in odd ways.”
  • We have looked at top head coaching candidates a number of times so far this season, and will do so again as Adam Caplan of ESPN compiles a comprehensive list of assistant coaches who will be sought after for interviews this offseason (subscription required). At the top of his list are Patriots‘ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Seahawks‘ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and Cardinals‘ defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Caplan also highlights Baylor’s Art Briles, Stanford’s David Shaw, and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn as college coaches who could make the jump to the NFL.

Raiders Notes: Stadium, Future, McKenzie

November 20th, 2014 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Hours before the Raiders host the Chiefs and look to notch their first win of the 2014 season, let’s check in on the latest updates on that 0-10 club in Oakland….

  • Speaking to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Raiders owner Mark Davis expressed that he doesn’t want to get caught up in an “endless cycle” of one-year lease extensions with the O.co Coliseum in Oakland. However, even though he’s acknowledged that Los Angeles and San Antonio are possible options for the franchise, Davis’ primary goal is to get a new stadium built in Oakland.
  • Davis on the stadium situation: “We are trying everything possible to get something done in Oakland right on the same exact site we’re on right now. And I’d say 99% of my interests and energy are going towards getting something done there. That’s really the crux of it right now. People want to know about the other sites and there are always options. But we want to get something done in Oakland.”
  • As Rapoport details in a second piece at NFL.com, Davis also gave a strong endorsement to general manager Reggie McKenzie, despite the fact that the Raiders haven’t won a game in more than a year. Pointing to this year’s draft class – including Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, and Gabe Jackson – as a success for McKenzie, the Raiders owner said that, while Tony Sparano may be an interim head coach, McKenzie isn’t an interim GM.
  • More from Davis on McKenzie: “We are in really good shape, based on the way Reggie put all the contracts together and everything else. We’re not settled with a lot of upside-down situations anymore. The situation he walked into originally was pretty tough. The deconstruction phase of that went very, very well. I think we’re a pretty desirable place for someone that wants to come in and build.