The Chargers will remain in San Diego for at least one more season.
The team released a statement Monday to announce they have no intention to exercise an out clause that would allow them to negotiate with other cites or move the team.
"The City of San Diego and the Chargers continue to work closely together to explore publicly acceptable ways to build a Super Bowl-quality stadium on the bus maintenance yard site in the East Village of downtown San Diego," said the joint statement from San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders and Chargers owner Dean Spanos. "To give this ongoing process every chance to succeed, the Chargers have announced that the team will not trigger the lease's termination clause in 2012. Both the Mayor's Office and the Chargers look forward to continuing their joint efforts to build a multi-use stadium that will benefit the entire region."
The Chargers' lease at Qualcomm Stadium doesn't expire until 2020, according to U-T San Diego, but each year, the team has a three-month window from February through April to explore new options.
It's likely that part of the Chargers' decision goes back to a lack of options, specifically in the Los Angeles market. The Philip Anschutz group (AEG) planned to break ground on a new stadium in downtown L.A. this year, but that no longer seems to be the case. More importantly, Chargers president Dean Spanos is on record saying the Chargers are not interested in AEG's downtown plan or a second stadium proposal by Ed Roski's group in the City of Industry.
"It's nothing new," said Chargers general counsel Mark Fabiani, who is the team's head of stadium development. "We made it clear to AEG long ago that we're not interested in their site. We've had a contentious relationship with them since we said we didn't believe they could get it done, and it certainly appears there's no chance they can get any construction started in 2012."
