Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that a group of influential owners “strongly opposes” the Rams relocating to Los Angeles.
Interestingly enough, Florio mentions that Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is among this group of owners, and is emerging as a leader of the NFL’s L.A. committee.
A sources tells Florio that Richardson and other owners view the Chargers and Raiders as more eligible franchises to relocate, especially now that the city of St. Louis has put together a more viable plan for a new stadium.
If the Chargers were to move to L.A., it’s reportedly viewed by the owners as the least disruptive move for existing fan bases.
Richardson tells PFT that: “Additional work needs to be done before we move forward, but we are confident in our process.”
According to Florio, San Diego’s mayor is expected to visit the owners in an effort to persuade them that the Chargers should be required to stay the course in their current hometown.
Florio adds that it appears as though the Chargers and Rams both have the votes to block one another from moving to L.A., which means the NFL is likely to have significant role in the matter moving forward.
Jason La Canfora reporte earlier in the day that neither the Inglewood project led by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, not the Carson project led by Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Raiders owner Mark Davis, has sufficient support to carry a vote.
The league requires 24 of the league’s 32 owners to vote in favor of a franchise in order for the relocation process to begin. La Canfora mentions that this will need to be finalized by December, and many owners believe there are still more questions than answers at this point in time.
Spanos is considered to be the most popular owner involved in the situation, but there are some who believe Kroenke’s project would end up being the most lucrative for the entire league, and estimates have said Kroenke would have as many as 10 votes in his favor right now.
The league and commissioner Roger Goodell have yet to take an official stance on the matter, but it seems like they’ll eventually have to begin pushing owners in a particular direction.
We’ll have more regarding teams potentially relocating to Los Angeles as the news is available.
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