Rams Selected to Relocate to Los Angeles, Chargers Have Option to Join

THIS IS A BREAKING STORY REGARDING THE NFL’S DECISION TO HAVE TWO TEAMS RELOCATE TO LOS ANGELES. STAY TUNED AS MORE NEWS BECOMES AVAILABLE REGARDING THIS HISTORIC DECISION.

In a historic decision Tuesday night, the NFL ownership have officially voted on allowing two teams to relocate to the Los Angeles area. The St. Louis Rams will officially be able to relocate to Los Angeles for the upcoming season, while the San Diego Chargers will have the option to join them in a new stadium located in Inglewood, California. Inglewood is located half an hour from Downtown Los Angeles.

Originally the Chargers and Raiders had a plan to build a stadium in Carson, California. Despite the Los Angeles relocation committee voting to suggest that option, the ownership as a whole it appears did not the Raiders to leave Oakland.

As stated before, the Chargers will have the option to move to Inglewood either this year or in the future. That is because the city of San Diego is expected to make one final push to keep the franchise in San Diego. A public vote will occur in June to decide whether the franchise can receive public funding for a new stadium. Ultimately, it is widely expected the Chargers will join the Rams in Los Angeles at some point in time.

Commissioner Roger Goodell called it a “long process” but expects the move to be “extremely successful.” The Commissioner feels like the Inglewood project will provide a great facility and can meet the standards of the entertainment capital of the world.

Because there is no stadium ready for the 2016 season, several facilities have been discussed. By most accounts, it seems that the LA Coliseum would host both of these teams for the 2016 season. The Coliseum currently hosts the USC football team.

Nearby soccer stadiums have also been discussed. The Rose Bowl is reportedly uninterested in hosting an NFL at this point in time.

The owners took the first official vote this afternoon, resulting in a 20-12 vote in favor of the Inglewood project. A total of 24 votes is needed for relocation to become official.

Because the Raiders owner Mark Davis has appeared to have agreed to not relocating, the league is expected to help the franchise financially. According to Ian Rapoport, the $55o million relocation fees paid out by the Rams and Chargers could be used to help the Raiders build a new stadium. Because the team pulled out of it’s plans in Carson, they will also have preference if they do decide to relocate at a later date.

Davis said the situation was certainly “not a win,” but he emphasized the need for a stadium to be built for the Raiders. He did not give specifics to where that stadium could be built, whether it’d be a new one in Oakland or one in another city barring another relocation process.

Roger Goodell says the Raiders (and possibly the Chargers) will get $100 million to help build a new stadium if neither team relocates.

The stadium is expected to be used for more than just NFL games. A theater designed to host the NFL Draft is expected to be a part of this stadium. One would expect events such as the Super Bow, the NFL Draft Combine and various ownership meetings to also have the option of hosting in Los Angeles. Events such as the Final Four and other non-NFL related events could also be held at the new venue.

The Rams played in Los Angeles from 1946-1994 prior to moving to St. Louis. The Chargers franchise spent its inaugural season in Los Angeles, but has primarily been located in San Diego.

The NFL has not had a team relocate since the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997. That move later prompted league expansion to add the Houston Texans just five years later.

For now, the Rams are officially back in Los Angeles and the Chargers will most likely be joining them in the near future.

Stay connected to NFL Mocks as this story continues to develop!