With the Los Angeles Rams officially in place and back at the Coliseum until construction of their new stadium in Inglewood is finished in 2019, the question of where a potential second team will play temporarily has been nagging ever since the National Football League approved the San Diego Chargers or Oakland Raiders to eventually join the Rams.
Unofficially, the Coliseum was always the safe bet. But that might be official any day now as the President of the Coliseum Commission – Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas – will take up a proposal to amend the Coliseum’s lease with the University of Southern California so that two NFL teams can share the stadium with the Trojans.
USC’s current lease allows for accommodation only one NFL team. But when the NFL voted January 12 to approve the Rams relocation to Los Angeles along with a potential partner, the need for a second venue became essential.
If the Coliseum Commission and USC can come to an agreement on an amended lease, the question of where the Chargers or Raiders will play in Los Angeles could be finalized.
The Chargers are currently deciding whether to join the Rams in Los Angeles, and have a year to make their decision. Negotiations between the two teams are on going. If the Chargers opt to stay in San Diego, the Raiders would have the option to then join the Rams.
The Chargers hope to make their decision soon, as they have a season to market in either Los Angeles or San Diego.
However, a high-ranking NFL official said Wednesday the Coliseum Commission proposal is not connected to the Chargers and Rams negotiations. The NFL has been working with the Coliseum for months as a temporary home to a second team, and this is the natural course of those talks.
Incidentally, if talks between the Rams and Chargers move into next week – or even if an agreement is reached late in the week – an NFL source indicated an announcement could be delayed until after the Super Bowl so as not to upstage the league’s signature event.