Amidst reports that the NFL hopes to bring not just one but two franchises to Los Angeles within the next couple years, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti is the latest to suggest that professional football could return to his city soon. Appearing on radio station KNX on Thursday, Garcetti said that it’s “highly likely” an NFL team comes to Los Angeles within the next year, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Garcetti expressed doubt about the city of Los Angeles subsidizing a new stadium, but suggested that this year’s sale of the NBA’s Clippers showed “just how valuable the L.A. franchise could be.” It’s worth noting that the mayor won’t be the one primarily responsible for bringing an NFL franchise to the city, and previous mayors have also expressed confidence about the league’s return — still, Garcetti’s proclamation that the NFL is “finally interested” in L.A. again comes on the heels of several other indications that that’s indeed the case.
The Rams, Raiders, and Chargers have been cited as clubs that could potentially move to Los Angeles, considering their uncertain stadium situations. However, despite Garcetti’s prediction of an accelerated timetable for a possible relocation, there’s still a long way to go before it becomes a reality, as Giants co-owner Steve Tisch told the L.A. Times after this week’s owners meetings.
“It hasn’t gone backwards, but it hasn’t gone forwards,” Tisch said of the possibility of an L.A. team. “There seemed to be one or two references to potential new locations, a couple of locations in Carson, but certainly no breaking news.”