Top Menu

Report: San Diego Chargers to Inglewood Looking More Likely

Proposed Inglewood stadium

San Diego Chargers owner Dean Spanos says he will not reveal the team’s next move until the season ends, but some believe a move to Los Angeles is looming.

Ever since Measure C–which called for the construction of a stadium/convention center in downtown San Diego–failed on Election Day, the biggest question has been what will come of the Chargers. The team’s option to move to Los Angeles expires in January and, if exercised, it would allow the franchise to eventually join the Los Angeles Rams at a new stadium in Inglewood (shown above).

Thus far, some San Diego officials have expressed optimism that stadium talks with the Chargers can be renewed but the Measure C’s 43% approval margin leaves many wondering if San Diego will get behind a new stadium. At this point some in the NFL see a move to Los Angeles as the most likely route for the Chargers. More from CBS Sports.com:

Sources insist there is no secret plan to be explored in the aftermath of the ballot defeat, and while Spanos will wait until after the season to formally announce plans, it would be quite surprising if the team does not relocate, many owners and people close to him believe.

Spanos has exhausted various plans over decades, expending millions of dollars and thousands of hours in the process, yet has no feasible way to secure a stadium in San Diego. The stinging defeat in the NFL’s relocation vote last year, coupled with the bleak odds of securing public funding in downtown San Diego, led to the lengthy and complicated negotiations with Rams owner Stan Kroenke to finalize a deal to allow him to join the billionaire at his Inglewood site in 2019.

While the deal — which renders the Chargers more like a tenant in the soon-to-be-constructed football palace — is hardly a home run for Spanos, it is one he is willing to live with, sources said, and is more conducive to the long-term security of the franchise than anything in the San Diego area. Frustration has mounted over the outdated facility the team currently plays in, and the political scene in that area — where city council reps did not support the measure — is not likely to change anytime soon.

The option for Los Angeles expires on January 15, giving the Spanos and the Chargers just weeks between that date and their last regular season game on January 1. As it was originally written, the Chargers could extend the option for another year, contingent on a stadium deal in San Diego.

RELATED STORIES: City Looks to Keep San Diego ChargersVoters Reject San Diego Chargers StadiumVote on San Diego Chargers Stadium Could Affect Raiders, RamsSan Diego Chargers Stadium Struggling in PollsChargers Look Beyond Election DayChargers Measure C Faces Opposition; Kevin Faulconer Backs Chargers Stadium Effort; Is Los Angeles the Chargers Only Backup Plan? 

, , , ,

August Publications