The Buffalo Bills lost owner Ralph Wilson this week and now many are wondering whether the team will be moving or relocating in the near future and the answer to that is complicated, but either way, Roger Goodell wants a team in Los Angeles and apart from the Bills, the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars are the most realistic options.
Goodell has been hoping to bring a team to LA for years and while it will be a long way off, some have wondered what the future of the Bills will mean for the LA move. The Bills have a tough situation when it comes to their home stadium and they signed a 10-year lease a couple of years ago and that likely means nothing will happen this decade. But now with Wilson gone, uncertainty could play into things and the team could try to get out of the lease sooner.
"We've been very open that if we had the right opportunity to be back in Los Angeles with the right formula, meaning a stadium, most importantly," Goodell said, according to Pro Football Talk. "We know there are millions of fans who want a team there. We would love to do that, but it has to be successful. We are going to do it right if we are going to do it. There are different proposals out there and different opportunities but not one that we are focused on and can say that we have the right solution yet. We're not there."
Mark Davis spoke about the potential options this week and according to NFL.com, the Raiders owner has "thought" about the move back to LA, as the Raiders have had issues getting a stadium plan and deal done in Oakland. The O.co Coliseum has been a mess for the Raiders over the past few years and they are now the only team left sharing a stadium with a baseball team, as they shack up with the Athletics. Last season there were multiple sewage issues at the stadium and that is one reason why Davis has thought more about a potential move for the team in the future.
Last year there were reports that the NFL was looking at the Hollywood Park Stadium site as a potential landing spot for teams and the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars were considered as teams that could potentially move. The Rams and Chargers have had issues with their stadiums for years and while the Jaguars have been committed to staying in Florida, there is a chance they could move as well/
Many have speculated that the Raiders would be the best option to move to LA since they have previously been in that city (and the Rams as well), but there are a number of hurdles for the NFL and any of those teams to overcome to get to the LA site. Davis said that the team is not "done" in Oakland, but that if things don't start moving in the right direction he will have no choice but to consider other options. Davis said that as long as something can get done in Oakland, he will remain there, but so far the team has had issues getting a new stadium built, while the 49ers are set to debut their new billion dollar facticity this season.
Davis said that the team is set to play at the Oakland Coliseum this year and that is locked in with a one-year extension, but he added that after this season the team will look at other options if nothing further comes along in Oakland. Last year, the National Football Post reported that the NFL is looking at the Hollywood Park site in LA as an option for new NFL offices along with a new team and while there are other development areas in the city, this one could be a potential landing spot for another team.
