Chargers reportedly set to announce move to Los Angeles
After 21 years with no NFL teams, Los Angeles is likely to get a second club in a span of 12 months.
The Chargers are set to announce their move from San Diego to Los Angeles, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday night. Earlier in the day, the NFL announced an extension of the Chargers’ option to make the move until Tuesday.
The Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles a year ago, and they would share their to-be-built stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the Chargers.
Schefter cited sources that said the Chargers informed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and other league owners of their intent to relocate. However, the report said the official paperwork wasn’t filed, and a source said the move wasn’t certain.
A stunner: Chargers plan to announce as early as Thursday they are moving to LA, ending 55-year stint with SD, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2017
The latest move is a homecoming of sorts, as the Chargers’ initial season in the American Football League, 1960, was played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before the team moved south.
When the Rams were granted approval to move to Los Angeles, the NFL gave the Chargers an option to join them there. If the Chargers decline the option, then the Raiders would be allowed the opportunity to move back to L.A. from Oakland.
The Raiders are also exploring the possibility of moving to Las Vegas.
The NFL’s stadium and finance committees met Wednesday in New York to discuss the Chargers’ situation, but the Chargers were not represented, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“(Chargers owner Dean Spanos has) got a decision to make here,” Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II said. “We know there’s been discussions with the public sector, and I don’t want to speculate on whether he’s ready to make a decision.”
