Could the NFL really send the Chargers back to San Diego? It's something being discussed, according to longtime NFL reporter Don Banks.
The former Sports Illustrated reporter, who has worked for NFL Media and currently writes for The Athletic, told a San Diego radio station on Thursday the NFL never wanted to lose San Diego as a market and could force Chargers owner Dean Spanos to take the team back.
"I have been painted a picture from people I’ve talked to that the league was sympathetic … to Dean Spanos’ plight," Banks told The Mighty 1090. "Feels like he had been a ‘league guy’ feels like he had waited kind of his turn on the relocation front, thought he had the votes the year before — Jerry Jones and Stan Kroenke pretty much outmaneuvered Dean and Mark Davis with the Raiders to be the first in line for LA. So it was almost as if this was a bit of a make up.
"There are people in the league — including the commissioner — they did not want to see San Diego forsaken. They would rather there be a team in San Diego. If there’s anything viable that they could find to put the league back in to San Diego, I think they will be in that camp strongly."
The Chargers failed to sell out their temporary home, the 27,000-seat StubHub Center, in their home opener last Sunday. Banks wrote at The Athletic the NFL is shocked by how quickly things have gone south for the Chargers in L.A. As the Rams struggle to draw fans to the L.A. Coliseum, Banks said the NFL does not want the bad "optics" of empty stadiums for three years before the Rams and Chargers are scheduled to move into a new Inglewood stadium in 2020. [Reply]
Could move them to Richmond, VA but Synder would try and block it. Richmond is a decent size metro area and the Hampton Roads metro area is in easy driving distance. [Reply]
Originally Posted by thegame214:
Owners gonna sell soon, they may end up back in SD
They can't sell for ten years or they give up a big chunk of the sale. They need one of the LA college QBs and hope Darnold/Rosen have at least as many fans as Alex Smith that will follow them. [Reply]
Originally Posted by highBOLTage:
They can't sell for ten years or they give up a big chunk of the sale. They need one of the LA college QBs and hope Darnold/Rosen have at least as many fans as Alex Smith that will follow them.
So, you're hoping to seat about 800 capacity, then?
I don't believe that will work for your long term financial needs in this league. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Shag:
LA struggling to support two NFL teams? Shocker. Who could have ever seen that coming?
Would love to see this happen, but not holding my breath.
They looked at NY with the giants and jets and thought LA was big enoigh for the same thing to happen there.
The raiders made more since in LA. Hell the rams make good sense too seeing as how they played there before moving to st. Louis.
The chargers are jist unnatural there.i dont see why they left san diego. Maybe itll get better once the stadium is built. But with all thefans of the raiders, 49ers, ect i dont see LLA being that viable for them. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Oh Snap:
They looked at NY with the giants and jets and thought LA was big enoigh for the same thing to happen there.
The raiders made more since in LA. Hell the rams make good sense too seeing as how they played there before moving to st. Louis.
The chargers are jist unnatural there.i dont see why they left san diego. Maybe itll get better once the stadium is built. But with all thefans of the raiders, 49ers, ect i dont see LLA being that viable for them.
You do know that the Chargers did play in LA before San Diego, so yes just like the Rams they moved back to their original city [Reply]
Originally Posted by Monkey God:
You do know that the Chargers did play in LA before San Diego, so yes just like the Rams they moved back to their original city
For 12 months. In 1960.
I'm sure that huge fan base they cultivated 57 years ago was very loyal and extremely happy to have them back in LA this year. [Reply]
I don't see why they don't move to St Louis. Does St Louis not curr if they have a team or not? We could have the Governor's Cup twice a year and actually have a rivalry instead of pretend. [Reply]
A major discussion topic among NFL owners/executives at this week’s league meetings is the Chargers’ viability in LA. PSL sales have been a struggle and team is expected to revise its Inglewood revenue goals sharply to a more realistic number: $400m to around $150m, per sources
A major discussion topic among NFL owners/executives at this week’s league meetings is the Chargers’ viability in LA. PSL sales have been a struggle and team is expected to revise its Inglewood revenue goals sharply to a more realistic number: $400m to around $150m, per sources