Overnight, all three NFL teams vying for a move to Los Angeles - the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams - officially filed for relocation. The country’s second-largest market has been without an NFL franchise for over 20 years.
The last time Los Angeles was home to an NFL team was in 1994, when both the Raiders and Rams were based there. The Chargers were based in Los Angeles during their first season in 1960 before moving to San Diego.
The move to Los Angeles had been gaining steam throughout 2015. Rams owner Stan Kroenke has made his intentions to move out of St. Louis clear and has plans for a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood, notes The Los Angeles Times.
Just a few weeks after Kroenke unveiled his plans, the Raiders and Chargers surprisingly announced that they would share a stadium in Carson, next to the 405 Freeway. While the Giants and Jets also share a stadium in New Jersey, those teams are at least in different conferences. The Raiders and Chargers are currently both in the AFC West and play each other twice a year.
The stadium in Carson is expected to cost $1.7 billion. Disney CEO Bob Iger was picked as non-executive chairman for Carson Holdings, the venture the Raiders and Chargers started.
While the Rams and Raiders only issued short statements, Chargers owner Dean Spanos sat down for an interview to explain his decision. He explained that another team moving into Los Angeles would cut into the Chargers’ area, specifically taking aim at the Rams.
“Over 25% of our business comes from Riverside County, Orange County and the Los Angeles County area,” Spanos explained. “Another team or teams going in there would have a huge impact on that. I think that is what really was the catalyst that got this whole thing going because when the Rams decided to make their move there, this was a move to protect our business more than anything. So we find ourselves where we do right now.”
The NFL owners will meet to decide which team or teams move to Los Angeles in Houston next week.