The Oakland Raiders may have played their last game on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders will certainly carry on, but they could represent Los Angeles as early as next season.
The Raiders are expected to formally apply for relocation as early as Monday, the opening of the NFL’s relocation window.
The Raiders, St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers are all expected to apply for relocation to the Los Angeles market, with one or two teams being approved to play there in 2016.
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The Raiders and Chargers have partnered on a joint stadium proposal in Carson, while the Rams are lobbying for a stadium in Inglewood.
It’s uncertain at this stage which proposal will get a green light. Both sides are believed to have the nine votes required to block approval, where a 75 percent majority is required.
The Carson project is believed to have more support at this stage – Disney CEO Bob Iger’s inclusion gave the proposal a big boost -- though there are several undecideds and voting shifts could happen in coming weeks. Some powerful owners have backed the Inglewood proposal.
NFL owners are expected to vote on L.A. relocation during a Jan. 12-13 league meeting in Houston. The NFL’s committees on Los Angeles relocation, stadium and finance will meet on Wednesday and Thursday in New York, to help iron out an outcome that remains uncertain. Each team will make a presentation at these meetings.
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The city of Oakland can’t block the Raiders relocation bid. Home markets with teams eyeing Los Angeles were asked to submit stadium proposals last week, and Oakland sent a letter to the NFL asking for time to come up with a concrete stadium proposal. Oakland remains behind St. Louis – the farthest along in terms of having a stadium project ironed out – and San Diego in terms of stadium progress.
Raiders owner Mark Davis has long stated his preference to remain in Oakland, but the team and city are a ways off regarding demands for an East Bay stadium prospect. His one-year lease extension with O.co Coliseum is set to expire, leaving the Raiders free to leave.
Davis wants a long-term stadium solution for his franchise. That has created a desire to return to L.A., a market the Raiders called home from 1982-1994.
It is possible the league would push a decision to 2017, though powerful Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, on the L.A. relocation committee, said Sunday he believes a team will play in the L.A. market next season.
If the Raiders move, they won’t be the only team in L.A. The greatest likelihood of a move from Oakland would come with the Chargers in the Carson project as it currently stands. That has both teams contributing to the privately financed, $1.7 billion stadium.
A compromise might be required to get the L.A. situation ironed out. NFL Network reported on Sunday that the relocation fee has been set at $550 million per team.