West Notes: Raiders, Chargers, Kubiak, Stewart
In the news plenty this week for their flirtations with other cities, the Raiders haven’t engaged in any formal talks with Oakland about a new stadium, Matthew Artz of the Bay Area News Group reports.
Although the Raiders have discussed another one-year lease to play in their current home, O.co Coliseum, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf confirmed no negotiations on a long-term playing site have occurred since relocation meetings took place Jan. 12 in Houston.
“I recognize that the Raiders have a powerful brand and that they will always have options outside of Oakland,” Schaaf said. “And, I remain committed to proving to them that Oakland has the most to offer them.”
The Raiders have been since connected to San Antonio, San Diego and, most recently, Las Vegas in their desperate attempt to leave Oakland and secure a new stadium. But Los Angeles will still be their most likely landing spot if the Chargers reach a deal with San Diego on a stadium agreement. They remain second in line to share the Inglewood stadium with the Rams if the Chargers end up succeeding on their leverage move in San Diego.
Any Chargers deal for a publicly aided new stadium will likely need to be finalized by this summer, Artz writes, in order to get the initiative on the November ballot. If not, the Raiders’ Los Angeles path clears.
“If the alternative is no deal in Oakland … or going to this fabulous new facility and not having to put any equity into it, it would be very hard for a reasonable businessman to turn that down,” stadium consultant Marc Ganis told Artz.
Here is the latest news on the Raiders and some of the other Western-division franchises.
- In a memo sent to all 32 teams, the league notifies franchises that they shouldn’t assume the Raiders will be barred from moving to Las Vegas and no such restrictions exist on teams moving to a particular city, Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com reports. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes such a move would be extremely unlikely to receive the 24 required votes from fellow owners.
- In a long profile of top Chargers counsel Mark Fabiani, who will presumably be involved along with Dean Spanos when the two sides resume negotiations, the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Peter Rowe hears the Chargers were disinterested about the new stadium site when the sides last talked. This, of course, was before the owners designated Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood site as Los Angeles’ new football epicenter. “[Fabiani] told us the Chargers were agnostic when it came to the stadium’s new location — it really didn’t matter to them. He told us to settle on a site, spend your time analyzing these two sites and then come up with a financial plan. That’s what we did,” said Tony Manolatos, spokesman for San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer’s stadium task force, “and then he was criticizing us every step of the way.” Prior to the owners’ decision, this stance, county supervisor Ron Roberts told Rowe, was designed to make it look like the Chargers were “unloved” in San Diego.
- Spanos overplayed his hand in his all-out pursuit of Los Angeles, Nick Canepa of the Union-Tribune writes. With talks set to likely increase between the Chargers and San Diego after being dormant for months, Canepa writes the city’s business power structure need to put their weight toward making the team’s preferred downtown stadium happen.
- When Mike Shanahan left his post as the then-Super Bowl champion 49ers OC in early 1995 to become the Broncos’ head coach, the 49ers wanted to give their OC job to then-33-year-old Gary Kubiak, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Kubiak instead accepted the same position with Shanahan in Denver and held that job for 11 seasons, which eventually led to his return in 2015.
- Officially questionable, Broncos safeties T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart each vowed to play in Super Bowl 50. While Ward’s ankle injury isn’t expected to keep him out, Stewart may have a harder time playing effectively. The first-year Broncos safety’s sprained MCL’s made it difficult thus far for lateral movement, with the former Ravens back-line bastion being able to only run in a straight line in his week off from practice, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stewart told media, including Pat Graham of the Associated Press, “Without a doubt in my mind, I’m playing.”
AFC Notes: Raiders, Vegas, Jets, Chiefs, Titans
There was a report Thursday that Raiders owner Mark Davis and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson would meet Friday to potentially discuss stadium details. That meeting did indeed happen, as the company tweeted that Davis and Adelson “had a great visit.”
If Davis does try to move the Raiders to Las Vegas, he’s likely to meet resistance from the NFL because of the city’s association with sports gambling, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole adds that the hypothetical Las Vegas Raiders would be a “windfall” for Davis because he wouldn’t have to put much money toward a stadium. Most of the funding would come from Adelson.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- In November, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reported the Chiefs and free agent-to-be Jaye Howard were discussing a long-term deal. Paylor updated the situation Friday, tweeting that the Chiefs and the defensive linemen “have maintained solid dialogue.” The talks are “fluid,” a source told Paylor. Howard, 27, set career highs in starts (14), tackles (57) and sacks (5.5) during the 2015-16 season, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him a terrific 24th among 123 qualifying interior D-linemen.
- Like Howard, Jets running back Chris Ivory is also nearing free agency. The fact that the Jets are low on cap space and have higher priority free agents in Muhammad Wilkerson and Ryan Fitzpatrick could lead to Ivory’s departure, which the Pro Bowler acknowledged Friday. “They want to bring me back but like I said, I think it’s about the cap space. That’s going to be the biggest factor as to whether I’m back or not,” Ivory told Around the League, per Conor Orr of NFL.com. Ivory is coming off his first thousand-yard season (1,070), one which also saw him establish new career bests in carries (247), receptions (30) and touchdowns (eight).
- The Titans have hired Keith Willis as their assistant defensive line coach, according to Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). Willis, who played in the NFL from 1982-1993, had been the D-line coach for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes since 2013.
Chargers To Remain In San Diego For 2016
Chargers owner Dean Spanos has issued a statement announcing that his franchise will remain in San Diego for the 2016 season, rather than immediately joining the Rams in Los Angeles. The Chargers will have until January 15, 2017 to move to L.A. if they so choose, but Spanos intends to work with the city of San Diego to try to come up with a long-term stadium solution to avoid relocation.
[RELATED: Rams, Chargers agree in principle to L.A. deal]
“Today I decided our team will stay in San Diego for the 2016 season and I hope for the long term in a new stadium,” Spanos said in his statement. “I have met with Mayor [Kevin] Faulconer and Supervisor [Ron] Roberts and I look forward to working closely with them and the business community to resolve our stadium dilemma. We have an option and an agreement with the Los Angeles Rams to go to Inglewood in the next year, but my focus is on San Diego.
“This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the world-class stadium experience you deserve.”
As he alludes to in his remarks, Spanos’ announcement comes on the heels of the Rams and Chargers agreeing in principle to a deal that would see the team sharing a stadium in Inglewood. If the Chargers ultimately decide that the situation in San Diego is untenable, the team will still have the opportunity to team up with Stan Kroenke and the Rams in Los Angeles.
For now though, the Chargers remain focused on San Diego, and the club’s agreement in principle with the Rams could help improve its leverage for stadium talks with Mayor Faulconer and other San Diego leaders. The proposal put forth by the city a month ago was deemed unsatisfactory by the NFL when it gave the Chargers approval to relocate.
Although the Chargers will have most of the year to attempt to work with San Diego to come up with an improved stadium plan, the team thinks it might know within the next two or three months if a solution will be doable, tweets Jim Trotter of ESPN.com.
As commissioner Roger Goodell notes in a statement issued today (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today), the NFL has committed an extra $100MM – on top of its usual $200MM – to help the Chargers get something done in San Diego. That extra money, along with the team’s Inglewood agreement, could help grease the wheels as the two sides resume negotiations.
Spanos’ decision leaves the Raiders in limbo for now. Mark Davis‘ team will have the opportunity to follow the Rams in Los Angeles if the Chargers ultimately remain in San Diego, but because the Chargers’ final decision isn’t due until at least 2017, L.A. and San Diego both remain off the table as relocation options for the Raiders for the time being.
As they wait to see where the Chargers land, Davis and the Raiders figure to explore other cities, including San Antonio and Las Vegas, though it seems likely that the club will play in Oakland for at least the 2016 season.
As for the Rams, Kroenke is likely pleased to have the market to himself for the 2016 season, giving him a head-start on any other team that may eventually join him in Inglewood. The one downside for Kroenke is that the Rams reportedly can’t begin selling suites or personal seat licenses until at least February 2017 without a second team joining them in L.A.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Browns, Raiders, Chargers, Manning
Although Hue Jackson‘s recent comments have seemingly indicated a preference the Browns move on from Johnny Manziel, Jimmy Haslam knows the sides can mend their damaged relationship, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Browns’ owner admitted both his regime and the team’s previous power structure have made critical misjudgments in the draft, he does not like the idea of moving on from a No. 1 pick that’s contributed so little to the franchise.
“Oh, yeah, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Haslam told media about being able to go forward with Manziel. “We talked to Johnny before he left [for the offseason]. I know a big deal was made that Hue hasn’t called Johnny yet. Well, we’ve got 53 players on the active [roster] and 10 more [on reserve/futures deals], and there were a couple of other real prominent players that he just talked to in the last day or two. So I’m sure he’ll get around to talking to him.”
Jackson hasn’t sounded too optimistic regarding Manziel, who entered rehab but endured several alcohol-related slip-ups during the season, with the new Cleveland coach saying Manziel’s alleged secret excursion to Las Vegas while in concussion protocol would have been a “non-starter” under his watch. In between, the 23-year-old Manziel started six games and completed 57% of his passes, throwing for seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
Here’s some more Browns- and AFC-related news.
- Haslam said there is no awkwardness between him and newly rehired DC Ray Horton, Ulrich tweets. The owner told media, including Ulrich, Horton did a good job as the Browns’ DC in his one-and-done stint in 2013. The Browns ranked ninth defensively under Horton that season. The Browns ranked 27th in 2015 and 23rd in 2014 in total defense.
- Should the Browns select Carson Wentz with their No. 2 overall pick, “they’ll be set for 15 years,” an NFL personnel man whose team does not need a quarterback told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He’s the best quarterback in the draft. If I were picking at No. 2, I’d take him. It will solve all of their problems and they’d get that team turned around,” the personnel man said. Sources told Cabot the Browns’ interest in Wentz is real, and although most mock drafts don’t have the North Dakota State fifth-year senior going off the board that soon, Jackson has experience coaching a Division I-FCS first-rounder. He helped guide Joe Flacco, chosen out of Delaware in 2008, previously.
- New Dolphins DC Vance Joseph will allow Ndamukong Suh to provide input, and the new coach is trying to forge a relationship with the league’s highest-paid defender, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Suh, per a teammate, did not have much use for since-fired DC Kevin Coyle. Suh’s requested input regarding the Dolphins’ scheme, and Joseph said he’d listen.
- Miami’s also open to giving former top-five pick Dion Jordan another chance despite his rampant trouble with the league, Jackson reports. Jordan hasn’t played since participating in 10 games in 2014. The league suspended the former No. 3 overall pick for the entire 2015 season for violations of its substance-abuse policy. The Dolphins would allow a potential Jordan return to the team, providing he’s clean and if the league reinstates him in April, Jackson writes.
- With Raiders owner Mark Davis‘ planned trip to Las Vegas on Friday to possibly discuss the Raiders playing in a planned $1 billion domed stadium representing Thursday’s biggest news, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk cautions fans to slow down on any Las Vegas Raiders-themed discussions. Using Tony Romo‘s cancelled fantasy football convention at a Las Vegas Sands-owned, non-gambling facility last summer as an example, Florio does not believe the NFL will allow the Raiders to move to Vegas. The NFL previously said a Vegas-hosted Pro Bowl or merely a single game would not likely be sanctioned.
- The Chargers hired recently fired Patriots offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo as an offensive line assistant, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). DeGuglielmo will work alongside Jeff Davidson with the Bolts’ linemen.
- Should Peyton Manning determine Super Bowl 50 isn’t his “last rodeo,” the Broncos would have a difficult choice on their hands, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com writes. Should Manning return, he’s due to occupy an untenable $21.5MM cap hold next season. If Manning helps Denver win the Super Bowl, John Elway could be faced with a choice akin to what Ted Thompson encountered in 2008, when Brett Favre‘s backtracking forced an awkward trade. But Aaron Rodgers being under contract and Brock Osweiler not differentiates the scenarios. Corry argues the cleanest solution, albeit one that would put Elway in a complicated spot in terms of PR, would be to release Manning, sign Osweiler to a long-term deal and free up $19MM in cap space. If Manning decided he wanted to play again despite this, Corry cites the Rams and Texans as teams that would fit the soon-to-be-40-year-old quarterback’s needs, with their strong defenses and warm-weather or climate-controlled settings.
Raiders To Explore Move To Las Vegas
7:46pm: Davis will meet with Adelson on Friday to potentially discuss stadium details. Las Vegas Sands leads a group of investors proposing to build a $1 billion domed stadium near UNLV that would be the Rebels football team’s new home and possibly an NFL franchise’s as well, Howard Stutz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
Las Vegas Sands has had conversations with other teams as well, senior vice president of government relations and community development Andy Abboud told Stutz.
“We are moving forward with the stadium concept with or without an NFL team,” Abboud said. “We see a lot more opportunities — conference championships, bowl games, NFL exhibition football, boxing, soccer, neutral site games, and music festivals. There is an entire
segment out there. Nothing will move that needle like a new world-class stadium.”
Las Vegas Sands will pitch this idea to the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee in February or March, Stutz reports.
7:32pm: The Raiders’ interest in a Las Vegas move is “very real,” Cole reports (on Twitter). Davis and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson have been discussing this for two years. The team’s been playing on one-year leases at O.co Coliseum in that time span and is negotiating another short-term arrangement in Oakland for this season.
6:50pm: Raiders owner Mark Davis offered an emphatic no-comment on a potential relocation to Las Vegas, via Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter).
4:44pm: Could the Oakland Raiders turn into the Las Vegas Raiders? It’s at least a consideration for Raiders management and a Las Vegas-area group, according to UNLV president Len Jessup (via Ralston Reports).
[RELATED: Raiders Could Consider Move To San Diego]
Jessup sent a note to a small group of UNLV-related people on Thursday to let them know that the Las Vegas Sands is pushing to build a brand new stadium in Southern Nevada for the school. Meanwhile, Sands leadership will host Raiders officials in Las Vegas to check out their “potential new home.” For his part, Jessup says that he would be very interested in a partnership with the Raiders.
“Certainly, if a public-private partnership can be forged that includes the development of a new special events stadium on the 42-acre site that has little or no cost to UNLV…then it is something we would look at very seriously,” Jessup said in the letter.
Of course, it remains to be seen exactly how serious the Raiders are about a potential Las Vegas move. Also, the NFL might be wary about moving a team to Las Vegas, particularly given the PR issues they have had in recent years. Trips to Las Vegas could lead to trouble for NFL players and the league will probably also have concerns about placing a team in a gambling hotbed.
When asked about the possibility of putting a team in Las Vegas in January of 2015, Roger Goodell did not totally dismiss the idea.
“I haven’t had any dialogue with officials in Las Vegas about how that could happen successfully for Las Vegas and for the NFL,” Goodell said. “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.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Raiders Discussing Oakland Stadium Lease
While the Raiders have made today’s biggest news splash for their reported exploration on a potential relocation to Las Vegas, they are also negotiating to keep their current options open.
The team is negotiating a short-term lease with O.co Coliseum, Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com reports.
This means the Raiders, while still discussing long-term solutions in the Bay Area and in other cities, are negotiating another one-year lease extension to play the 2016 season in Oakland. The Raiders have played the past two seasons on one-year extensions, Bair reports.
This continues to provide short-term security while making the franchise technically a free agent again after the season, should this extension become an agreement.
Mark Davis wouldn’t commit to an Oakland return at the relocation meetings earlier this month, but these discussions are making that seem probable for the 2016 season while the last-place Los Angeles finisher contemplates further maneuvers.
For the Raiders to move before this season, they would need the 24-votes majority the Rams received, and they’d need it before the relocation window closes Feb. 15. They remain in line behind the Chargers for a Los Angeles move.
As of today, the Chargers are still considering their options on whether to join the Rams in Inglewood.
Extra Points: Alonso, LA, Draft Prospects, Pats
Linebacker Kiko Alonso is coming off his first season with the Eagles, one in which the 2013 PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year was a non-factor. Alonso expects better things in 2016 with recently hired defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz at the helm, writes Paul Domowitch of Philly.com.
Alonso’s agent, Steve Karic, says the 25-year-old is “very excited” to play for Schwartz, who coordinated Buffalo’s defense to a fourth-place ranking in 2014. Alonso was also a Bill then, but he missed the season because of a torn ACL and didn’t play a down under Schwartz. Still, he’s familiar with Schwartz’s defense.
“He spent the offseason in Buffalo that year playing in this defense. He went through OTAs and minicamp in this defense. He was in the meeting rooms all season long,” Karic stated.
Karic then added that Alonso “definitely can play” the Mike (middle) or Will (weakside) LB role in Schwartz’s scheme. Prior to Alonso’s injury in 2014, Schwartz planned to use him as a Will ‘backer in Buffalo. Alonso played on the inside under former Eagles D-coordinator Billy Davis in 2015-16 and totaled just 43 tackles in 11 games, rating an ugly 92nd of 97 qualifying LBs by Pro Football Focus’ standards (subscription required).
Elsewhere around the NFL. . .
- Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News believes the Chargers will end up in LA next season (Twitter link). He also shot down the notion (via Twitter) that talks between the Chargers and Rams have stalled. This comes on the heels of a Monday night report from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora that the two sides are “making progress.”
- North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz – who’s gaining steam as a possible first-round pick in the 2016 draft – has already met with nearly half of the league’s 32 teams at the Senior Bowl, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Two of those clubs are the Dolphins and Texans, Wentz told Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, respectively (Twitter links: 1, 2). With Ryan Tannehill in the fold, Beasley doesn’t expect the Dolphins to use the eighth overall pick on Wentz. However, if available, he could be a fit for QB-needy Houston at No. 22.
- Alabama MLB Reggie Ragland, one of Wentz’s fellow Senior Bowl participants, has spoken to the Ravens, Chiefs and Raiders so far, and he’ll also meet with the Packers (Twitter links via Wilson and Chase Goodbread of NFL.com). The probable first-rounder will play some OLB this week as a way to show off his versatility to prospective employers, reports Wilson (on Twitter).
- Foxborough, Mass., police arrested Patriots practice squad receiver J.J. Worton on Saturday and charged him with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 and over and one count of assault and battery, per ESPN.com. The Patriots didn’t comment on Worton’s arrest, tweets the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who adds that the 24-year-old is unlikely to remain with the team. Worton, who signed with the Pats earlier this month, has an expiring contract.
West Notes: Mathieu, LA, Raiders
We learned Sunday that the Cardinals will try to lock up jack-of-all-trades defender Tyrann Mathieu this offseason. Now Mathieu, who has one year left on his rookie contract, says he hopes to stay in Arizona long term.
“Obviously, I love this team, I love this locker room, I love the coaching staff, upper management. I think this is the perfect place for me. I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life here,” the All-Pro safety stated Monday, per Darren Urban of the team’s website.
More from the NFL’s two West divisions:
- Negotiations between the Rams and Chargers are “ongoing,” tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, as the Bolts continue in their efforts to partner with the Rams in Los Angeles. The two sides have been talking “for nearly a week straight” and are “making progress,” adds Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
- If the Chargers do end up in LA and the Raiders are unable to work something out with Oakland, they could view San Diego’s stadium situation as an upgrade – at least for the short term – according to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. In San Diego, the Raiders would have Qualcomm Stadium to themselves, which isn’t the case in Oakland. The Raiders and A’s both play at O.co Coliseum, and the Raiders “hate” sharing the stadium, Krasovic writes.
- Regardless of the disdain they have for their current stadium, the Raiders are likely to remain in Oakland next season, reports Bill Williamson of Fanrag Sports (Twitter link). The club has until March 31 to make a decision for 2016, but it might have to make a determination sooner, per Williamson. That could mean staying in Oakland for at least another year.
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