Rams & Raiders Remain Top Candidates To Relocate To Los Angeles, Possibly By 2015

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that the Rams and Raiders are among the teams to have spoken with Inglewood, California mayor James Butts about relocating to Los Angeles.

According to La Canfora’s sources, signs continue to point to these two teams being the top candidates to ultimately end up in Los Angeles. Interestingly enough, La Canfora adds that this could happen as soon as next year.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased a parcel of land close to the Hollywood Park race track, which could be used as a location for a new stadium.

As of now, Hollywood Park parcel is not the most preferred NFL sight, but there are some obvious benefits to the location.

Butts mentioned that the area’s considerable infrastructure with access to four freeways, its proximity to LAX airport, and the area’s ability to handle a heavy traffic load as the main reasons why it would make sense for the NFL to consider placing a stadium there.

This fits with what La Canfora reported a few weeks ago, which is that the Rams and Raiders have devoted “considerable time, energy and resources” towards eventually relocating to Los Angeles, but NFL intervention and the league’s overriding control of the process has set them back.

The NFL has reportedly made it “explicitly clear” to the Rams and Raiders that no one will be allowed to relocate to L.A. unless they have stadium, property and development deals approved by the league.

However, sources have told La Canfora that “there are live discussions involving two clubs potentially relocating there.”

The San Diego Chargers could still be an option as well, but are reportedly not as far along in the process as the other two teams.

The NFL could still decide to oversee the entire process of building a stadium in Los Angeles on their own. AEG reportedly made significant alterations to their economic arrangements, but it would take even more concessions from them in order for the league to pursue this avenue.