The National Football League and its Rams are headed back to the City of Angels.
Rams Relocating To LA; Chargers And Raiders Have Potential Opt-In Options
League owners voted 30-2 in favor of the St. Louis Rams' relocation plans to the Greater Los Angeles city of Inglewood, bringing the NFC West team back to the city it played in from 1946 to 1994. The secret-ballot vote required 24 votes in favor to be approved.
The San Diego Chargers have the option to agree to lease terms and join the Rams in the trek to LA by January 16th, 2017. If the Chargers decline, then the Oakland Raiders, another team formerly situated in Los Angeles, will be handed the option to return to the world's entertainment capital.
St. Louis' winning proposal, as presented by owner Stan Kroenke, featured plans for a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood. However, after the Rams were denied earlier in the day Tuesday, they agreed to a joint venture with the Chargers.
The agreement also included $100 million for either of the remaining two organizations to build new stadiums in their current home markets.
Inglewood's stadium will open in 2019, while the relocation is effective starting this upcoming season. Potential temporary home stadiums in the area for the Rams and possibly the Chargers or Raiders would be the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl has hosted five Super Bowls in previous years.
Another proposal that had been under consideration was a partnership between the Chargers and Raiders that would have seen a $1.7 billion stadium built in Carson, California. NFL representatives earlier recommended the pitch, but it was unable to surpass the Rams' bid.
All 32 teams were represented at the final vote; the only team owner not present at the meeting in Houston was Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, who did not attend due to the Titans' ongoing searches for a new head coach and a new general manager. Strunk's team was the last to relocate, when the team moved from Houston before the start of the 1997 NFL season.