While the Raiders retracted their application to relocate at the eleventh hour on Tuesday, the Chargers have been granted a one-year option to decide if they want to join the Rams in Inglewood.
Advertisement
The Chargers can continue to negotiate with San Diego for a new stadium deal, while keeping the option of joining the Rams and owner Stan Kroenke at the $1.8 billion complex he is building.
“It is a bit of an arms race, and I do feel bad for the cities, but I wish that they would stay in sync with their desire”, Bisciotti said.
So where will the Raiders end up in 2016 and beyond?
Thirty of the 32 National Football League owners voted in favour of the Rams moving to LA ahead of the other two franchises. But Kroenke mostly ignored the city’s overtures, and the NFL commissioner said the requirement of at least $200 million from the NFL was double what league policy allowed. If they decide against the move, the Oakland Raiders could take their place. They will then be moving to a new stadium in 2019, once construction is completed for them.
The Chargers, who initially had a joint stadium proposal with the Raiders in Carson, California, have an option to join the Rams in Inglewood. The Rams will likely begin playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the 2016 season.
City and county officials said Wednesday the NFL’s decision to keep the Chargers waiting on a move to Los Angeles gives San Diego another chance to build a new stadium.
The Falcons have a long history with the Rams after spending many years in the NFC West division together, so to be one of the first teams to play them as a relocated franchise is only fitting.
“This has been the most hard process of my professional career”, Kroenke said.
Advertisement
Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop grew up in Missouri and was a fan of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams. In all, 40 percent of the stadium would have come from public money. If you’re feeling sentimental for fans in St. Louis and San Diego, make sure you drop by Turf Show Times and Bolts from the Blue with a kind disposition. “If Mr. Spanos has a honest interest in reaching a fair agreement in San Diego, we remain committed to negotiating in good faith”.
