Report: Chargers moving to L.A., owner to inform staff Thursday

The San Diego Chargers have informed commissioner Roger Goodell that they will be moving to Los Angeles for the 2017 season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

A formal announcement is expected to come as early as Thursday, according to Schefter.

Owner Dean Spanos is expected to hold a meeting to inform team staff at 8 a.m. PT on Thursday morning, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union Tribune writes.

The NFC's Rams made the move from St. Louis to L.A. this past season. The Chargers were nearing a deadline imposed by the Rams in which the franchises could agree to be co-tenants of the Rams' 80,000-seat stadium under construction in Inglewood, Calif.

The Chargers franchise first began play in Los Angeles in 1960, but moved to San Diego the following season. The team has been playing at the same stadium - now named Qualcomm Stadium - since 1967.

With little to no movement on the development of a new stadium in San Diego, the Chargers have been rumored to leave the city for a number of years.

The Chargers ranked second-last in attendance this year, drawing an average of 57,024 spectators to their 70,000-plus-seat stadium in their eight home games.

The Inglewood stadium is expected to open in 2019, so the Chargers would have to play their home games elsewhere for the next two seasons. The Rams are currently playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Chargers are also in the market for a new head coach that will lead them through this transition period. Mike McCoy was dismissed after a 5-11 season.