Column: After Raiders talk to NFL, L.A. might not beckon Chargers

Dean Spanos is staying in San Diego while others discuss the likelihood he will be staying in San Diego.

As rumors swirl about when the Chargers will announce where they will be playing henceforward, their stadium saga’s next twist hinges on a gathering in a Park Avenue high rise.

More than half the league’s 32 team owners will convene Wednesday at NFL headquarters to discuss the status of the Oakland Raiders’ relocation quest and its trickle-down effect on the Chargers’ potential move to Los Angeles.

Spanos will evidently be 2,400 miles away in San Diego assisting in his team’s search for a new head coach and perhaps on the threshold of making the announcement so many have been awaiting.

While the Chargers chairman is not scheduled to be in Manhattan on Wednesday, he has spent time in dialogue with some of the men who will play a key role in determining the fate of the two franchises and their home markets.

According to two sources intimately familiar with the league’s efforts, multiple owners have spoken with Spanos recently to express the widely held belief that he should stay in San Diego. While one of those sources said the league – several owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell – is dead set against the Chargers moving, the other source explained the discussions thusly:

“No one is going to tell Dean he can’t go,” the source said. “They’re going to tell him he shouldn’t go.”

The sentiment the Chargers should remain where they are is based on a few primary factors. The league’s desire is to keep a spot in Los Angeles open, and there is a belief the Chargers being a tenant of Rams owner Stan Kroenke is low-risk for Spanos but not set up to be high-reward when factoring in payment on the $650 million relocation fee, moving costs and the relative sliver of stadium revenue to which the Chargers would be entitled.

And as much as any element that will allow the Chargers to determine they can give San Diego another shot is that there almost certainly isn’t a need for them to move at this time.

Spanos has until Sunday to announce whether he is moving his family’s team to L.A. before that option transfers to the Raiders.

However, multiple sources said that deadline can be changed, perhaps subject to what happens Wednesday at 345 Park Ave.

The joint meeting of the finance and stadium committees – 10 owners on finance and eight on stadium – was called with the purpose of gauging the Raiders’ progress toward Las Vegas and setting a course toward a relocation vote that would probably be held at the regularly scheduled owners’ meetings in late March.

Raiders owner Mark Davis is expected to be present Wednesday and participate in an update given to the committees, as well as answer questions from committee members.

One source said Davis is prepared to effectively defer his option to move to Los Angeles contingent on the relocation vote.

That makes sense, since the Raiders must be (or at least appear to be) singularly committed to Las Vegas. That also portends an immense shift in the San Diego situation.

Spanos has indicated he is leaning toward moving even as he wants to stay. His chief concern has been losing his L.A. option. If that is not a danger, he has no justifiable reason to leave San Diego at this time.

There have been discussions among a group of owners about how the league can help facilitate the Chargers staying in San Diego. The same sources who say those talks have occurred said they know of no formal request from the Chargers for more money, but they said one could come. Whether Kroenke would chip in funds to help the Chargers get a stadium built in San Diego — and keep them out of Los Angeles — would depend on how much money was requested and would be contingent on an assurance the Raiders were also prohibited from moving for a period of time.

As of now, there is a $175 million gap between what the Chargers say they need to build a stadium and what San Diego officials have said they can provide. The $200 million tentatively pledged by the city and the $75 million put forth by the county is subject to public vote. San Diego State has also told the Chargers it can fund raise $100 million toward a new stadium.

As of Tuesday, many people in and around the Chargers organization said the team is operating as if it is ready to leave.

In fact, the Chargers are preparing for a move with a news release announcing the move drawn up, news conference arrangements tentatively planned and marketing literature at the ready. However, they took the same provisional measures last year before deciding to stay in San Diego.

A year later, the difference is Spanos is not awaiting approval for a move.

He is waiting to see if there is a way he can stay in San Diego.

Related

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kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com