Momentum is building for a Rams/Chargers partnership in Los Angeles. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the process is “all moving in one direction” and the decision could happen as soon as today.
Publicly, the Chargers and Raiders remain committed to their joint Carson project, but the Raiders stand to benefit even if they are blocked from Los Angeles. According to Peter King in Monday’s MMQB column, a generous compensation could be waiting for Mark Davis and the Raiders:
I still think the most likely scenario is the Chargers and Rams moving to Los Angeles, with one of the most golden of parachutes being set up for the Raiders to return to Oakland with the makings of a sweet stadium deal for them in the East Bay. “Whoever is not going to Los Angeles,” said one official familiar with the league’s thinking, “will be generously taken care of. The league will create a safety net for that team.”
That’s the good news for Raider fans in Oakland. The bad new is, there are still hurdles to keeping the team in Oakland (albeit nothing like the threat of moving to Los Angeles).
According to a Monday report in the Orange County Register, the Raiders no longer feel Oakland is a viable NFL market.
Raiders officials said the team has negotiated in good faith with the city and county for eight years, offered to contribute $500 million to a new stadium in the East Bay and signed three lease extensions for O.co Coliseum with the intention reaching a deal on a new stadium. But officials from the city and county, which jointly operate O.co Coliseum, the Raiders charge, have reneged on promises and refused to make any significant contribution to a new stadium. The city has admitted, the Raiders said, to lying to the franchise. In 2012, the city and county entered into a series of exclusive negotiating agreements with different real estate developers and consultants. None of the groups presented plans that the Raiders or county and city viewed as viable. In particular, the Raiders said the city and county reneged on a written proposal to contribute nearly 170 acres and $100 million in infrastructure to the new stadium project.
Of course, the Raiders tune could change if they’re able to secure the necessary financial support from the league’s “golden parachute” to remain in Oakland.
Or there’s this… if Davis is serious about leaving Oakland, Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole says San Antonio will be the next destination to watch.
Here we go again?
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