Speaking at his annual press conference at the league's owners meetings, commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the topic of relocation in general, as well as specific proposals for various teams to move to Los Angeles and the possibility of a team in Toronto.
Among the topics discussed by the owners was the possibility of moving up the window during which teams can apply for relocation. "We've had discussions with our committee if there was a relocation if that’s the appropriate time to do," Goodell said. "If a decision is made earlier, would that give teams the opportunity to move?"
NFL senior vice president Eric Grubman added, "We're setting all this up to go earlier than that and we’ve told the home markets they ought not to depend on that Jan. 1. That they ought to go faster than that. We may feel like the right thing to do is to make that decision earlier so that everybody knows where they stand."
This of course plays into the various relocation proposals from the Rams, Chargers and Raiders to move to Los Angeles. Rams owner Stan Kroenke proposed a $1.86 billion Los Angeles football stadium that would house the Rams and one other (undefined) team, while the Chargers and Raiders recently proposed a joint $1.7 billion plan for a shared stadium to be built in Carson, Calif.
Of those plans, Goodell said, "I do expect we’ll be hearing from all three teams not only to the league staff but to the committee some time in late April. We'll likely report back to the membership when we meet in May. There will be a lot of dialogue, there’s a tremendous amount of [looking at stadium alternatives]. I expect that will continue at a very disciplined pace."
There was also talk before the Bills were purchased by Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula that the team might move to Toronto. Those talks have quieted down as the Pegulas are firmly committed to Buffalo, but the idea of a team in Toronto or elsewhere in Canada is not dead. The Pegulas, though, do not see it as affecting the Bills all that much.
"Terry’s exactly right," Goodell said. "It was asked during the process. He doesn’t see that as an issue for him. His focus is on Buffalo and creating a solution long term with a franchise that represents that region. He’s incredibly focused on that and not Toronto. Toronto's an important market but all of Canada is and Mexico."
