The Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers could be on the verge of playing the biggest, strangest game of musical NFL chairs our football loving nation has ever seen.
The NFL's biggest and brightest have descended upon Phoenix for the league's annual owner's meetings, meaning all manner of topics will be broached and league business will be gotten down to.
One of the main issues of interest will be the proposed Los Angeles relocation projects by the Raiders, Chargers and Rams and the NFL's own research into the matter.
According to a report from Albert Breer of NFL.com, one such relocation proposal currently being bandied about by the league would result in the Raiders relocating to St. Louis, the Rams moving to Los Angeles and San Diego staying put.
As Breer notes, in that scenario the Rams would get a "head start" on bringing football back to Los Angeles, the Raiders would be afforded a fresh start in a new city and the Chargers and the city of San Diego would finally set a deadline for a new stadium initiative.
While the notion of the Rams winding up in Los Angeles instead of the Raiders seems a bit off-putting and impractical at first glance, a recent poll in the Los Angeles Times reveals that over 56 percent of readers believe the Rams should be the team to make Southern California their home.
At first, the NFL rebuked the notion of another Los Angeles franchise, but it seems the tide is turning in SoCal's favor.
"I think there's going to be one or two teams playing in LA next year -- 2016," New York Giants owner John Mara said at the NFL's owner meetings, per Bob Glauber of NewsDay.com. "Maybe a temporary stadium [next year], but I think -- and this is just my opinion -- that one or two teams will be playing somewhere in L.A. next year. But we'll see."
As Breer reported and as Mara's comments seem to confirm, the most likely outcome is two teams in Southern California, meaning either two in Los Angeles or one in San Diego and one in LA.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke has revealed plans for an 80,000-seat stadium in Inglewood, CA and the Raiders and Chargers recently announced a joint venture to build a stadium in Carson, CA.
The NFL is planning a market assessment of San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis in April, per Breer, to determine which sites are the most viable before moving forward with any relocation plans.
The biggest issue facing the relocation proposals right now?
Per Breer, the Rams have the strongest project but, based on the NFL's relocation criteria, they're the least qualified to move.
