NFL owners unanimously approved a final tenant-lease contract between the San Diego Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday. The contract had been agreed to in principle back in January of this year, when Rams owner Stan Kroenke received approval to move his team to the city of Los Angeles.
San Diego Chargers chairman Dean Spanos said that a decision will be made regarding whether the Chargers remain in San Diego or move to Los Angeles at the conclusion of the NFL season. The Chargers have until January 15th to exercise the team’s option to move to Los Angeles.
“They’ve been working for 15 years [to keep the team] in their community,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said of the Chargers. “They’re a big part of that community. They believe in that community, and they want to be a part of it.
“It’s Dean’s option by Jan. 15 to make a determination of whether he thinks he can make it work in San Diego or whether he decides to take the option to Los Angeles.”
Goodell believes that the city of Los Angeles could handle having 2 NFL franchises, the Rams and, potentially, the Chargers.
“It’s a great market,” Goodell said. “We know we have millions of fans there, but it’s also a challenging market. They demand to see that we’re doing everything possible to put the best product on the field. I’m convinced the stadium project itself is going to be world-renowned. I think the entertainment aspect of it and the stadium itself and around it is going to be absolutely extraordinary.”
San Diego is fighting to keep their beloved franchise where it is just like Oakland is fighting to keep the Raiders in town. Oakland seems to be fighting a losing battle.
“We have not made great progress in Oakland and in San Diego,” Goodell said. “There’s not a stadium proposal on the table that we think addresses the long-term issues of the club that’s in those communities. So we need to continue to work at it.”
Nevada legislators voted to approve raising $750 million in hotel taxes to fund a stadium in Las Vegas which would help a potential Raiders-move to the city.
“There are some real strengths to the Las Vegas market,” Goodell said. “It’s clear that the Las Vegas market has become a more diversified market, more broadly involved with entertainment and hosting big events.
“And there is a growth to the market; you can see the trajectory when you look at the market data and where it’s going, so there were some very positive things in that.”