One of the biggest talking points in the NFL heading into the annual owners meeting in Phoenix this week was the possibility of Los Angeles building a stadium and getting an NFL franchise — or two — for the first time since the Rams and Raiders left for St. Louis and Oakland respectively after the 1994 season.
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Rams owner Stan Kroenke has brought plans with him to the meetings for a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood, and while he hasn't expressly stated that he has plans to move the franchise back to Los Angeles, it seems unlikely that he would invest that much in a stadium not for his franchise. This plan competes with that put forth by the Raiders and Chargers, in which they proposed sharing a stadium in Carson.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the NFL views LA as a two-team market and would like to have a stadium built that would accommodate both — like the Chargers and Raiders' plan. Neither plan is expected to be approved by the needed 75% vote at the owners' meeting this week — per the LA Times — as the three cities that currently have those teams are still looking to find ways to keep them, but the wheels are certainly in motion.
New York Giants owner John Mara, one of the league's most influential owners, told a group of reporters at the meetings that he felt Los Angeles would have a team or two, and soon.
"I think there's going to be 1-2 teams playing in Los Angeles next year."
It would make financial sense for the NFL to try and get back into the No. 2 media market, and it's no surprise that there are multiple teams that see Los Angeles as a lucrative destination. It will be interesting to see how quickly a plan gets approved, and which team or teams end up leaving their current city for Los Angeles.
