Update, 7:00 p.m. Tuesday:
With a 30-2 vote, NFL owners voted Tuesday night to allow the St. Louis Rams to move to a new stadium just outside Los Angeles, and the San Diego Chargers will have an option to share the facility.
The Oakland Raiders were left out of the deal, but could move to Los Angeles if San Diego doesn’t, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said.
The Chargers can continue to negotiate with San Diego for a new stadium deal, for one year, while keeping the option of joining at the Rams and owner Stan Kroenke at the $1.8 billion complex he is building in Inglewood. After one year, if the Chargers do not move to L.A., the Raiders then have the option of joining the Rams.
According to Kroenke, both the Chargers or the Raiders have the option of joining the Rams in an ownership or lease agreement.
As part of the agreement, the league would provide $100 million to the Oakland Raiders to help fund a new stadium in Oakland.
Rams move. Chargers $100M and option to move to LA. Raiders $100M plus option to move to LA if Chargers don't.
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) January 13, 2016
Raiders owner Mark Davis, appearing at a press conference with Goodell and the other owners, did not appear happy with the outcome.
Mark Davis says this is not a win for the Raiders. "We'll see where Raider nation ends up."
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) January 13, 2016
“We’ll be working really hard to find us a home,” David added. “Don’t feel bad, we’ll get it right.”
Without a lease at O.co Coliseum, the Raiders are left to find a new home. While the $100 million subsidy from the league helps in their efforts to fund a new stadium, it is not thought to be sufficient to cover the gaps.
Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Davis seemed to open the door to locations outside of Oakland and Los Angeles.
Mark Davis is mad right now but I see the #Raiders playing in Oakland next season. Then … it's wide open
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) January 13, 2016
When asked about specific locations, Davis refused to give any “ifs, ands, or buts.”
“America, the world, is a possibility for Raider Nation.”
Update, 5:05 p.m. Tuesday:
While nothing’s official yet, it looks like the Raiders will be playing in Oakland next season.
Sounds like the #Raiders have bowed out. It's #Rams and #Chargers, with details and timing being worked out. In Inglewood
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2016
NFL owners are still meeting in Houston and are expected to vote Tuesday night to finalize relocation plans for one or more teams.
As far as a long-term agreement for the Raiders to stay Oakland? Stay tuned. But it’s possible the NFL could potentially help finance a stadium.
Key for @NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: How to make sure the #Raiders are happy. Sounds like #Chargers able to join #Rams in Inglewood
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2016
Update, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday:
Good times over at the NFL owners meeting in Houston, where the Lords of Football are voting on which team or teams will gain the right to leave their fans heartbroken and bitter as they skedaddle to Los Angeles. The contenders: the St. Louis Rams, the San Diego Chargers and our own Oakland Raiders.
L.A. Times reporter Sam Farmer has embedded himself at the scene in Houston, where he has been closely following the slam-bang action. Follow the latest at his Twitter feed:
So where do we stand? Well, an NFL committee on the relocation recommended the combined stadium proposal involving Oakland and San Diego over St. Louis’ plan for another venue, AP reported today. But, happily for Oakland fans, the owners promptly ignored that.
First round of votes completed. Rams/TBD in Inglewood gets more votes than Raiders/Chargers in Carson. Nobody at required 24 yet.
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) January 12, 2016
The owners have scrambled the already complicated permutations of who might go where. A joint move by the Chargers and Rams is now on the table. CNN Money reports:
The Rams-Chargers option is a break from the two proposals that owners were scheduled to vote on this week. Heading into the summit in Houston, owners were being asked to decide between a Rams proposal for a stadium in Inglewood and a joint Chargers-Raiders proposal for a stadium in Carson.
The NFL’s Los Angeles Committee is now considering a plan that would dissolve the Chargers and Raiders joint venture, clearing the way for the Chargers and Rams to move to Los Angeles instead.
Originally, it was the Raiders and Chargers that had agreed to share a stadium in Carson. CNN says the Raiders could get a consolation prize
for being dropped that doesn’t necessarily include staying in Oakland:
[The Chargers-Rams] option would leave the Raiders out of Los Angeles, meaning such a proposal is likely to include significant concessions to Oakland, and perhaps even relocation to a new stadium or new city. Whatever the case, league owners are eager for the Raiders to improve their situation, given that the team brings in the second-lowest revenues in the league.
The Chargers had previously said they have “zero interest” in hooking up with the Rams, who have proposed a stadium in Ingleside.
Oakland — the city — came to the table in a bid to keep the Raiders, with no plan to publicly finance a new stadium. The city is still in debt from the Oakland Coliseum renovation it paid for 20 years ago when the team moved back from Los Angeles. (That’s right, it wants to go back.)
A poll released in November found Oakland residents have prioritized keeping the Raiders in Oakland just below renaming Jack London Square after Jean Quan.
Well, not really, but you get the idea.