3 NFL Teams File Applications to Relocate to LA

Kevin Aherne

3 NFL teams filed the requisite paperwork on Tuesday to relocate to the Los Angeles market in 2016. The St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers have all declared their intentions to end the professional football drought in America's second largest metropolis that has lasted form more than 20 years. 

All three franchises have claimed Los Angeles as their home in the past. 

"The applications will be reviewed this week by league staff and three league committees that will meet in New York on Wednesday and Thursday -- the Los Angeles Opportunities, Stadium, and Finance committees," the NFL commented through a public statement. "The applications will be presented for consideration at next week's league meeting in Houston on Tuesday and Wednesday. The relocation of a franchise requires the affirmative vote of three-quarters of the NFL clubs (24 of 32)."

St. Louis Rams

"The St. Louis Rams informed the National Football League today that the Rams propose to relocate to the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area," The Rams said in a statement. "The relocation would be effective for the 2016 NFL League Year."

The Rams originally played in Southern California in 1946, using the LA Memorial Coliseum until 1979, and moved to Anaheim Stadium until 1994. They won their first (and only) Super Bowl in 1999. The team has complained that their home, the Edward Jones Dome, has grown obsolete, and is unable to sustain an NFL franchise without significant renovation or rebuild. 

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers have faced even tougher stadium woes. 

"We have tried for more than 14 years, through nine separate proposals and seven different mayors, to create a world-class stadium experience for fans in San Diego," said the Chargers through a statement. "Despite these efforts, there is still no certain, actionable solution to the stadium problem. We are sad to have reached this point."

San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium is nearly 50 years old. It was originally built as a dual-purpose stadium to host the Padres. The stadium is considered by most in the league to be obsolete and insufficient, but the city has continued to balk at the pricetag to fund a suitable replacement in California's second largest city. 

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders started in Oakland, moved to Los Angeles in the 1981, and moved back to Oakland in 1995. Their current home, O.co Coliseum is the only remaining dual-purpose stadium in the NFL. Additions and renovations, however,  have made the facility unsuitable for both football and baseball. 

"In accordance with the relocation policies, the Oakland Raiders submitted a relocation package to the NFL. The matter is now in the hands of the NFL's owners. An owners' meeting is scheduled to take place in Houston, Texas on January 12 and 13, 2016."

No stadium deals currently in place

Several questions still remain over where any of the relocating teams may play long-term, but the short term plan seems to involve the temporary use of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Long-term, there are two separate proposals for stadiums in the Los Angeles area. Last year, Rams' owner Stan Kroenke unveiled a nearly $2 billion dollar stadium plan in Inglewood, California, which would serve as the centerpiece to a 300-acre entertainment complex at the site of the former Hollywood Park racetrack. Weeks later, ownership for both the Raiders and Chargers announced plans to build a joint stadium in Carson, California.