Chargers say agreement to join Rams in L.A. not imminent
The Chargers are not yet close to an agreement to join the Rams in Los Angeles, a team representative told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Wednesday.
“[Chargers owner] Dean [Spanos] will take some time to evaluate the new options that have been created for the Chargers by the owners’ vote,” special counsel Marc Fabiani told Pro Football Talk in an email, regarding a report by Alex Flanagan of NFL Network that the NFL had “framework” for a stadium deal between the Chargers and Rams and that the former had plans on moving to L.A. “No decisions have been made, and no serious review of a proposed framework for a Rams-Chargers deal has yet begun,” he added.
The Rams announced they were moving to Los Angeles from St. Louis on Tuesday, and the Chargers were given a one-year option to join them. Fabiani’s comments suggest some type of framework for a deal exists, but suggest that the two sides have work to do.
The Rams, Chargers and Oakland Raiders each applied for relocation to Los Angeles. The Chargers’ initial plan was to build a joint stadium with the Raiders in Carson, Calif., a proposal rejected by the league’s owners.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans on building a stadium in Inglewood, projected to open in 2019. The Chargers would join the Rams in the Inglewood stadium under the new deal, and it is unclear what role Chargers ownership would play in the stadium project in this scenario.
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San Diego has made a proposal to the Chargers to keep the franchise in the city. That proposal includes a new, $1.1 billion stadium built partially with public money. A vote on whether the public funding can be used would occur in June.
The Rams will start playing in Los Angeles this upcoming season, likely at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
