The University of Southern California proposed a $270 million renovation for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but the renovation isn't for a NFL team unless a move is long term, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
USC announced its plans for the renovation to the famous Coliseum, that hasn't seen any renovations in almost 20 years, on Thursday, according to Jason Song of the Los Angeles Times. The Coliseum was first completed in 1923, and is now a National Historic Landmark.
The renovation plans include replacing every seat in the stadium, increasing leg room, adding handrails, and adding a new structure on the south side that will include loge boxes and suites as well as a new media area, according to Song. The improvements would reduce the amount of seats in the Coliseum from 93,600 to around 77,500.
The University doesn't have any funding for the project, but USC's Senior Vice President for Administration Todd Dickey said the school was in the process of raising the money, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The construction isn't expected to start until after the 2017 USC football season. The renovated stadium could be completed by the start of the 2019 season, according to Florio. But if a team like the San Diego Chargers or the St. Louis Rams were to move to the Coliseum on a temporary basis, they would likely move to their new stadium before the Coliseum is done with the renovation.
The question is if the stadium is good enough for an NFL team prior to the renovation, why would they not stay there afterwards? The Chargers have already confirmed their plan to apply for relocation in January, and if things fall through with a stadium in Carson, it would be possible to see the Chargers at the Coliseum. It will be interesting to see what happens as the Rams, Chargers, and Raiders are all expected to apply for relocation.
The Coliseum's renovation won't be completed before 2019, so if any NFL team wants to play in the newly renovated stadium it will have to be for the long haul.
