Rams owner Stan Kroenke, intent on playing next season in Los Angeles as he attempts to build a new stadium in Inglewood, has made it clear to the league he is willing to share the facility with another owner from the onset, league sources said, but how equitable such an arrangement might be remains a critical issue.
The Chargers and Raiders have partnered on a potential project in Carson, Calif., though numerous league sources have continued to stress that the ultimate solution in Los Angeles could involve a pairing of any of the three teams seeking to relocate, and that essentially everything remains on the table at this point.
The Chargers in particular would strongly oppose playing in Inglewood, sources said, though the NFL could try to steer things in several different directions to finally bring this process to a conclusion. There remains some skepticism about how much Kroenke would truly share the wealth of a project he has singularly spearheaded.
At the league meeting in August, sources said Bears ownership asked Kroenke a direct question about what a deal might look like between him and another team in Inglewood, and at that time it was clear that the lease arrangement would make the other team more his tenant than his partner. However, sources said the Rams have never been approached by other owners or the league about a detailed plan for Kroenke’s preferred plan for a two-team stadium. While “ideally” a tenant/lease arrangement would be his choice, the team is also open to option that would include more of an “equity” stake as well. That would require more of a cash investment from the second team.
With just three months remaining in this calendar year, one would expect issues like this to be moving quickly if the NFL is indeed going to begin playing in LA next year. Of course, the possibility always exists that they could push things back another year, something the teams involved would dread.
Should the NFL endorse a two-team arrangement in Inglewood, it’s conceivable that the finances of a such a deal could be massaged to the point where all parties could agree. One source involved in the process maintained that Kroenke “is open-minded regarding a two-team scenario,” though that sentiment is not so readily backed up among the factions of ownership more inclined to vote for the Carson project at this time.
League sources continue to indicate that if a vote was taken today, neither project would have the requisite support (24 votes), with the Chargers/Raiders needing to swing another four to six votes to get there. Ownership sources estimate Kroenke has roughly 10-12 owners in his corner.
The move to LA will be a key topic at the NFL’s annual fall meeting, to be held Wednesday in New York, and while the league is not close to being ready to bring anything to a vote, there could be incremental signs of progress to come at the meeting, sources said.
During a conference call last week to prepare teams for the meeting, they were informed that “relocation guidelines” will be discussed in a private session limited to just one representative per club. The NFL could set a relocation fee soon, enter into a formal agreement to play games temporarily at the Los Angeles Coliseum and at some point between now and December, the league will have to settle of a preferred project and begin ensuring that it has the sufficient votes required to pass.
Should owner Mark Davis bring in a minority partner to the Raiders with significant experience and acumen in the Los Angeles business/real estate/entertainment community, it only strengthens his odds of being one of the two teams in that market. Throughout this lengthy process he has continued to be seen as the most malleable of all the teams involved, desperate to get out of Oakland and willing to take a subsidiary role if need be to another team if deemed necessary to ensure he ends up there.
With Commissioner Roger Goodell more focused on this project than ever before and likely to play a critical role in its ultimate resolution, it could take a considerable compromise from multiple teams to facilitate things Expect the league to have a major role in steering the financials and details that carry the day.
