While the San Diego Chargers work through their decision to join the Los Angeles Rams in L.A. or not, the Oakland Raiders sit patiently contemplating their next move.
At first glance, the Silver and Black emerged from Houston as the odd team out of a three-team race for Los Angeles and in a less than desirable position moving forward.
Nothing could be less accurate.
The Raiders are in a very strong position.
At some point in the near future, the Raiders will either be making the move to Los Angeles in a partnership with the Rams, or setting up shop as the lone free agent on the open market with San Diego, Oakland and perhaps San Antonio as their primary suitors.
According to sources, San Diego is a very real and viable option. It’s a market the NFL absolutely wants to be in, and one the league is comfortable the Raiders would dominate.
In fact, don’t be surprised if the NFL either waived any relocation fee to facilitate a possible Raiders move to San Diego or set one at a price extremely affordable. In addition, the additional $100 million the league promised to the Raiders to go toward a deal in Oakland is expected to be available to them in a move to San Diego.
As an NFL source told me today, waiving a relocation fee could be possible as the Raiders would be yielding a Bay Area market that is attractive to the NFL long term while filling a San Diego market the league wants to keep in the fold.
In other words, the NFL would have a strong presence in San Diego and be able to leverage the Bay Area to motivate current markets into securing stadium deals for their teams.
As for the Raiders, a move to San Diego is advantageous for a number of reasons.
The Silver and Black have a strong foothold in Southern California, and can count on support from nearby Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and even Ventura counties. In addition to San Diego, of course.
And that isn’t a bad selling point to San Diego leaders who can rely on Raiders fans from those nearby regions making weekend trips to San Diego buying up hotel rooms and eating and drinking at local restaurants and pubs.
More importantly, it would secure the Raiders long-range future, which is what this entire process has been about for the Raiders, Rams and Chargers.
The key is, can the Raiders do what the Chargers could not: Agree on a stadium deal with San Diego, and get it approved?
Obviously that remains to be seen. But two things to consider: If San Diego loses the Chargers, the mindset shifts from keeping the NFL to attracting the NFL. So there will be ample motivation.
Meanwhile, the stadium needs and visions of Raiders owner Mark Davis and Chargers owner Dean Spanos – or 90 percent of NFL owners for that matter – are different.
Davis isn’t looking to build an extravagant $1.7 billion stadium. He wants a modest, contemporary venue that includes all the bells and whistles and revenue streams of new stadiums around the league.
But at a much smaller price tag.
In other words, he can approach San Diego with much more palatable and less expensive needs. For local leaders, that means a more doable stadium plan both economically and politically.
The first domino to fall is the Chargers.
After that, the Raiders can make their move.
And more and more, San Diego is emerging as a viable landing spot.
