Dean Spanos Meeting With San Diego Officials
A combination of a love for San Diego, wanting to avoid a scenario where the Chargers are the Rams’ tenant in L.A., or possibly a future where the Bolts enter an uncertain period regarding who exactly their fanbase is may work in San Diego’s favor. But the city may need a miracle to keep the Chargers regardless of those factors since the stadium proposal was shot down so emphatically.
Another Chargers season is barreling toward a postseason exclusion brings relocation talk to the forefront for a second straight year. The 5-7 team may have just four games left in San Diego. However, Dean Spanos has delayed this Los Angeles commitment for a while, and the team’s chairman will continue to exhaust his options before making an official pledge to join Stan Kroenke and the Rams in Inglewood.
Spanos will meet with San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, other city officials, and business leaders this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Chargers’ city for the past 55 years, San Diego is viewed as being behind Los Angeles in this race, especially after voters resoundingly shot down their measure for a downtown stadium last month. Although Spanos has not made his decision yet, Rapoport reports (via Twitter) the city needs a strong proposal to keep the Chargers.
A combination of a love for San Diego, wanting to avoid a scenario where the Chargers are the Rams’ tenant in L.A., or possibly a future where the Bolts enter an uncertain period regarding who exactly their fanbase is may work in San Diego’s favor. But the city may need a miracle to keep the Chargers regardless of those factors since the stadium proposal was shot down so emphatically.
Latest On Raiders’, Chargers’ Relocation
Although the Raiders and owner Mark Davis appear to be moving full-steam ahead with their plan to relocate to Las Vegas, not every NFL owner is on board, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (all links to Twitter). Multiple owners voiced various concerns with a potential move to Las Vegas at a recent league financial meeting, per Cole, who adds the NFL is now viewing the situation as a choice between two poor options.
At least two owners on the 15-man finance committee voiced concerns about the “logic” of transferring the Raiders from Oakland to Las Vegas, according to Cole, adding substance to recent reports that have indicated that Las Vegas’ small market size — not its reputation — is giving owners pause. League officials seem to agree, as they presented a study that showed Vegas would have the smallest “potential season ticket base” in the NFL, per Cole.
Another owner was skeptical of the relationship between Davis and financier Sheldon Adelson, and even argued that the Raiders should be wedged out of the NFL’s local revenue sharing agreement if they relocate to Vegas. Meanwhile, owners aren’t sold on Fortress Investment Group, which is set to contribute $600MM in private money towards a new stadium, and don’t believe the company is “trustworthy,” reports Cole.
On the Chargers, Cole corroborates Jim Trotter of ESPN.com’s recent report that the Bolts are likely to move to Los Angeles in the near future, although no “definitive statement” was made at the league’s meetings. The Chargers are progressing towards a deal with the Rams to share a stadium in Inglewood, California, but owner Dean Spanos “loves” San Diego, per Cole, and is presumably ready to exhaust every effort to stay put.
Chargers Place Jerry Attaochu On IR
- Jerry Attaochu underwent surgery this week, and the Chargers made the customary move of placing the third-year pass-rusher on IR. Nose tackle Ryan Carrethers will take Attaochu’s roster spot, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). A former fifth-round Chargers pick in 2014, Carrethers already has 20 games of NFL experience — three starts — on which to draw after his latest promotion from the practice squad.
Fitzgerald: Melvin Ingram In Line For Major Payday
- Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram could ask for Ryan Kerrigan-money during free agency, according to Fitzgerald. The Redskins linebacker inked a five-year, $57.5MM extension with the team back in 2015.
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Latest On Futures Of Raiders, Chargers
The Raiders remain on track to file for Las Vegas relocation in January, reports ESPN’s Jim Trotter. And, “barring a miracle,” the Chargers will likely declare their intention to move to Los Angeles at the same time (Twitter link). The Chargers have until Jan. 15 to decide whether to join the Rams in LA.
Both Raiders owner Mark Davis and the Chargers’ Dean Spanos will need 23 of their colleagues to OK their respective moves when they file for relocation. But Davis is in for a “battle royal,” according to Trotter, who adds that certain “old-guard owners” and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell are against the idea of putting a team in Las Vegas (Twitter links). Not only would doing so place a franchise in the gambling capital of the United States, but it would also mean trading the the Raiders’ Bay Area market for a smaller one. The Raiders currently play in the league’s sixth-biggest market, whereas Las Vegas is just the country’s 40th-largest market, as Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News wrote in October.
As for Goodell, his wariness of Las Vegas has been known for a while, with a source telling CBS’ Sports Jason La Canfora in October, “Even if this came to a vote early next year, I wouldn’t at all discount Roger’s ability to garner 9-12 votes against [a move] if he believes firmly that Oakland is in the best interest of the league.”
The main reason the Raiders are exploring relocation is because the city of Oakland hasn’t made much progress toward building a new stadium to replace the 50-year-old Coliseum. That may have changed somewhat earlier this week, though, as Mayor Libby Schaaf outlined a financing plan for a potential facility. Schaaf is hoping a combination of $600MM in private money from former Raider Ronnie Lott and the Fortress Investment Group of New York, $300MM from Davis, $200MM in public money and $200MM from the league will entice the Raiders to stay, according to Phil Matler and Andy Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to kicking in $300MM – the same amount he’d put forth for a Las Vegas stadium – Davis would likely have to take on Lott and his group as minority owners. The league’s on board with that idea, per Matler and Ross, but it’s unclear what Davis’ feelings are. At the moment, the plan is for Schaaf & Co. to submit the outline to the league’s owners to demonstrate that they’re serious about keeping the Raiders in Oakland.
The Chargers have shown a desire to stay in San Diego, but they’re “out of ideas” for securing a new stadium and will essentially need a miracle over the next month and a half to avoid relocation, per Trotter (Twitter links). The Chargers and Rams are reportedly progressing toward an LA agreement, so it seems increasingly likely that the Bolts are in their final season in San Diego. While their lease at 49-year-old Qualcomm Stadium runs through 2020, it’s possible the Chargers will break it and spend the next two years either sharing the LA Coliseum with the Rams or playing at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., until the $2.6 billion facility in Inglewood opens in 2019.
Chargers Audition Two
- The Chargers auditioned defensive backs Randall Evans and Solomon Means, tweets Balzer. San Diego is currently missing cornerback Brandon Flowers (concussion), while safety Jahleel Addae just returned on Sunday after recovering from a broken collarbone.
NFL Teams Showing Interest In Rugby Stars
Last year, rugby star Jarryd Hayne signed with the 49ers and tried his hand at the NFL. His stay in the league was short, but there are now a pair of rugby standouts that are hoping to follow his footsteps. Australian Rugby League players Valentine Holmes and Jason Taumalolo tried out for teams on Saturday, as Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com tweets.
The Bills, Bears, Browns, Packers, Colts, Jaguars, Chiefs, Rams, Jets, Eagles, Chargers, Seahawks, Cardinals, and the 49ers were all in attendance for the workout (Twitter link). Taumalolo, 23, and Holmes, 21, ran passing routes, underwent speed and agility tests, and ran the 40-yard dash, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Taumalolo hears that he could project to fullback, tight end, or linebacker while Holmes was pegged as a wide receiver or safety.
At least four NFL teams expressed interest in taking a second look at the duo, the Australian Associated Press reports. Scouts from the Packers, Eagles, Jets, Chiefs and Cardinals appeared to be the most interested. The AAP writes that both players intend on fulfilling their NRL contracts for 2017, but one has to imagine that they could change their minds if presented with an NFL offer.
Chargers Lose Jerry Attaochu For Season
Another Chargers season largely defined by injuries saw another player set to venture toward IR. Jerry Attaochu broke his foot in the Bolts’ victory over the Texans and will miss the rest of the season, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The third-year outside linebacker broke his right foot when it was caught in the turf at NRG Stadium during San Diego’s 21-13 road win. He joins a sizable contingent of Chargers who have been ruled out for the season. It’s the ninth game during which an injury sufficient enough for a Charger to be declared done for 2016 occurred.
Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead, Jason Verrett, Manti Te’o, Dexter McCluster and Brandon Mebane highlight this list, which makes for the second straight year of rampant injuries for the Chargers, who have battled to a 5-6 record despite the throng of unavailable key talent.
Attaochu did not build on a successful 2015 campaign, though, and already missed three games with a high-ankle sprain. The former second-round pick notched six sacks last season but came up with only two this fall. The Georgia Tech product served as a near-full-time starter for the ’15 Bolts, breaking with the first unit in 12 games. This season, Kyle Emanuel usurped him in the lineup, relegating Attaochu to an off-the-bench role save for one game. Attaochu’s recorded just two sacks and saw action in just 178 snaps.
Emanuel profiles as a run-stopper and does not have a sack this season. Fourth-year player Tourek Williams figures to see more work as a result of this latest setback.
Chargers, Rams Progressing Toward LA Deal
Chargers owner Dean Spanos said earlier this month that he was shelving relocation talks until after the season, but he and the Rams’ Stan Kroenke are in close contact and progressing toward an agreement to share a stadium in Inglewood, Calif., according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
The $2.6 billion facility in Inglewood won’t be ready until 2019, so the Chargers are considering relocating to Carson, Calif., for the next two seasons and playing at the StubHub Center. Although its capacity is just 27,000, some in the Chargers organization prefer temporarily utilizing the StubHub Center in lieu of sharing the Coliseum with both the Rams and USC Trojans, reports La Canfora.
For their part, the Rams are motivated to make a deal with the Chargers happen. Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff made clear last week that there aren’t any roadblocks in the way of an agreement. Further, the Rams can’t sell personal seat licenses and suite deals until they know whether the Bolts will join them in Inglewood, notes La Canfora. That could give the Chargers leverage in negotiations and result in the franchise paying a less expensive relocation fee if it heads to Los Angeles.
The Chargers could have joined the Rams in LA this season, but they opted to give the city of San Diego more time in hopes of landing a new stadium. Little progress has been made on that front, and the Bolts’ Jan. 15 deadline to decide whether to partner with the Rams is fast approaching. Theoretically, given that the Chargers’ lease with San Diego runs through the 2020 season, they could extend the LA deadline again and continue lobbying for a stadium in the city they’ve called home since 1961. However, given that relations between the Chargers and Rams have improved from where they were a couple weeks ago, it seems likelier the Bolts are playing their final season in San Diego.
Chargers Tried To Sign WR Paul Turner
- The Chargers tried to sign wide receiver Paul Turner before the Eagles promoted him to their 53-man roster this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.