NFL owners approve Rams' relocation to L.A.; Chargers get 1st option to join
NFL owners approved a bid Tuesday that'll see the St. Louis Rams relocate to Los Angeles in 2016, with the San Diego Chargers getting the exclusive first option to join them through 2017.
Should the Chargers decide to leave San Diego, they'll share a proposed stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the Rams. Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders are expected to receive compensation toward a new stadium in their home market from the relocation fees.
If the Chargers are unable to get a deal done with the Rams by Jan. 15, 2017, the Raiders would then have the opportunity to make a move to L.A. However, the Chargers are expected to successfully negotiate a deal and it "likely won't take that long," a source told Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Chargers have the option to join the Rams in Inglewood either as a partner or a tenant once the stadium is built, Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced on Tuesday. The same deal would apply to the Raiders should the Chargers decide to stay put.
The Chargers have until the end of the league meetings March 20-23 to decide if they're playing in SD or Inglewood in 2016.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 13, 2016
The owners voted 30-2 in favor of the proposal, Sam Farmer of the L.A. Times reports.
The Inglewood stadium is expected to be completed by 2019. USC has agreed to let the two NFL teams play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until then, reports Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said the Chargers and Raiders will each get $100 million if they stay in their respective home markets, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.