There are three potential NFL teams that could move to Los Angeles. New York Giants owner John Mara expects at least one of them to move to Los Angeles next year.
"I think there's going to be 1-2 teams playing in Los Angeles next year," Mara told a group of reporters including NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix.
Asked to clarify, Mara made it clear he thinks at least one team will playing there in the 2016 season. And those words carry weight when coming from one of the most influential owners in the NFL.
The candidates to move are clear. The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raidersteamed up for a stadium proposal in Carson back in February. Later in the month, the Inglewood City Council approved to build a football stadium that includes St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke as a partner. Construction for that plan could potentially start by the end of the year, with a stadium ready by 2018.
"In my opinion, the most important thing represented by the recently announced club-driven initiatives, is that the options available to present a viable L.A. solution have increased," executive vice president of NFL ventures and business operations Eric Grubman told NFL Media in February. "No project is certain until all the issues have been worked out, and the owners have voted to move forward, but two potentially viable projects pushing ahead increases the probability that something could get done."
NFL Media's Albert Breer reports that the league will provide an update to clubs on L.A. on Monday. According to a league source, the NFL is working to set up April visits to San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis, with the league conducting its own market assessment on those three cities.
Having three teams in the L.A. and San Diego markets won't be feasible, Rapoport reported per league sources.
There are 10 to 12 possible scenarios that could play out, with an interesting one being the Rams moving to L.A., the Raiders moving to St. Louis and the Chargers staying put for the time being. Under this scenario, the Rams get a head start, the Raiders get a fresh start and the Chargers set a deadline for San Diego to get a stadium done.
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