The Super Bowl's long-awaited return to Los Angeles will be delayed, but only for a year.
Days after it was revealed the opening of the Rams and Chargers' joint stadium would be delayed by a year, league owners voted unanimously Tuesday to relocate the site of Super Bowl LV in 2021 from L.A. to Tampa's Raymond James Stadium.
As for L.A., owners at the Spring League Meeting in Chicago voted for the yet-to-be completed stadium to host Super Bowl LVI in 2022.
"From our standpoint, we felt this was an appropriate thing to do," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday. "We were fortunate that Tampa had a very competitive presentation when they bid on the Super Bowl earlier [in 2016]. So this was a solution the membership got on very quickly."
Goodell added that the league and team owners did not consider re-opening the bidding for Super Bowl LV since there was an urgency to make a decision given the "short timeframe" of the situation.
Last year, the NFL awarded the Super Bowl to the yet-to-be built stadium in Inglewood, California. However, as NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, the league requires stadiums to be open for two seasons before they can host a Super Bowl. Owners would have needed to approve a waiver for L.A. to host the Big Game since it's now not scheduled to open until 2020 (it was originally slated for a 2019 opening).
Record rainfall in Southern California caused construction delays the Inglewood stadium site earlier this year, prompting its scheduled opening to be pushed back. Water up to 15 feet deep flooded parts of the site during the excavation period, the Los Angeles Times reported last week.
"The Tampa Bay area has enjoyed great success over the years hosting Super Bowls and we look forward to working with our local leaders in the coming months to meet the requirements for hosting Super Bowl LV in 2021," Buccaneers co-chairman Bryan Glazer said in a statement released by the team. "Today's announcement offers us the opportunity to showcase Tampa Bay's unique ability to come together as a host for world-class events."
Kevin Demoff, the Rams Chief Operating Officer, said the team supports the NFL's decision to move back their Super Bowl hosting date.
"As work continues on the transformational sports and entertainment district being built at Hollywood Park, we are looking forward to moments such as a grand opening during the Summer of 2020 and the Super Bowl's return to Los Angeles after nearly three decades," Demoff stated. "In the past week, we have worked with the NFL on the resolution that was presented today and are supportive of the NFL owners' decision to play Super Bowl LV in Tampa and to have Los Angeles host Super Bowl LVI in 2022. Over the next 90 days, we will continue to work with our partners across the Los Angeles region, including the Chargers, to deliver the elements promised in the bid that was approved last year."
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will host Super Bowl LII in February and Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium is slated to host Super Bowl LIII in 2019. Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida will host Super Bowl LIV.
