The Chargers are one of three NFL teams being connected to a move to Los Angeles in the near future. One of the franchise's greatest players doesn't believe the team will head up the coast.
LaDainian Tomlinson, the Chargers' all-time leading rusher, said Wednesday on The Rich Eisen Show that the team and city will find a way to stay in business together.
"I think they stay," said Tomlinson, now an analyst for NFL Network. "I think this is going to come down to the 11th hour, 59th minute. Right at the last minute I think they get a deal done. I don't believe that Dean Spanos, the president of the Chargers, wants to move. I think he likes San Diego. And I think they end up staying."
In February, the Chargers and Raiders announced a joint stadium proposal on a site in Carson, California. According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, the Chargers and Raiders have hired former 49ers executive Carmen Policy to help with a potential move to Los Angeles at the Carson location if the stadium deals with their local markets do not work out.
NFL Media's Albert Breer reported this week that momentum continues to build toward the league returning to the L.A. market, which hasn't had a team since the Rams and Raiders left town after the 1994 season. On Monday, a San Diego task force released a 42-page financing plan for a $1.1 billion Chargers stadium to replace Qualcomm Stadium, the team's home since 1967.
It's an important step forward for the city, which will need to proceed with precision to make Tomlinson look smart.
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