The Carson stadium initiative put forth by the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers may, if it's ultimately the plan chosen by the NFL as the most viable for a Los Angeles relocation, have some, if not necessarily unexpected, then at the very least unintended consequences, chief of which is a potential division change for both franchises. Carmen Policy, the man tabbed by Raiders owner Mark Davis and Chargers czar Dean Spanos to guide the Carson project to completion, indicated on Monday that division changing may very well be in the cards should the team's indeed make the jump to So Cal.
"[Y]ou send us to L.A. and you'll make the decision as to who plays in what conference or division," Policy said after a public presentation, via the Associated Press.
The Raiders and Chargers, of course, currently comprise half of the AFC's West division. The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs round out the quadfecta.
As ProFootballTalk reported in Feb., it's likely that one of the two teams - probably the Raiders, per PFT - would wind up joining the NFC West. If the Raiders joined the NFC West, the question would then become what team would join the AFC West in their stead. The Seattle Seahawks operated as part of the AFC West for over two decades, but per PFT's earlier report, the likelihood is that either the St. Louis Rams, who are also pursuing their own stadium project in Inglewood and potential Los Angeles relocation, or Arizona Cardinals would make the jump to the AFC West.
No matter the eventual outcome and alignment, it seems a move to LA for the Raiders and Chargers will have farther-reaching consequences than most fans assume. While nothing is yet set in stone, some team or teams will be playing in an LA venue sometime in the near future and if it's the Raiders and Chargers, they may well be doing it as members of separate conferences.
