After having a ballot initiative soundly defeated (only 43 percent of approval) by the voters of San Diego that would have added an additional hotel tax to fund a new stadium downtown, the San Diego Chargers are mulling other options moving forward.
One move the Chargers are working on is holding discussions with the Los Angeles Rams in regards to moving the team to the Inglewood stadium. Rams COO Kevin Demoff told Ian Rapoport of NFL that the team is looking to give the Chargers the best deal possible according to Kevin Patra of Around the NFL:
“There are no hurdles to any deal. The relationship between the two owners is in a good place and, I believe the Chargers feel welcomed. Nothing stands in their way of moving if that is what they want to do. I would also say we have no insight on what their decision will be. It’s only that we have worked hard to make sure their L.A. option is a good one.”
Back in January 2016 when the Rams were granted their relocation to Los Angeles from St. Louis, the NFL gave the Chargers the first option to activate their relocation clause by January 17, 2017. The Oakland Raiders would get the option for one year until 2018 to move to Los Angeles if the Chargers ultimately decided to stay in San Diego.
In the days after the ballot initiative failed, Chargers chairman Dean Spanos has repeatedly stated he wants to keep the Chargers in San Diego. However, with the relocation deadline looming and no groundwork financially in place to build a new stadium in their current market, the Chargers owner is now looking north to see if Los Angeles is a viable option for the team that has called San Diego home for 50 years.
