What are the NFL relocation rules?
The San Diego Chargers appear to be on the move to Los Angeles. What are the NFL’s relocation rules?
For the second time in two years, it appears that an NFL team is on the move to Los Angeles. On Wednesday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke news that the San Diego Chargers plan to announce their move to Los Angeles on Thursday.
This is the same announcement that the then St. Louis Rams made a year go. With the NFL looking to build a market in the Los Angeles area again, it looks like they are going to add yet another team.
A stunner: Chargers plan to announce as early as Thursday they are moving to LA, ending 55-year stint with SD, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2017
Relocation isn’t a simple process in the NFL and the Chargers have had a long road to this point. Their inability to acquire funding and a permanent home in San Diego has ended up with this conclusion to the saga and it means the end of an era for fans that grew up with the team.
When the Rams moved to Los Angeles last season, KMOV posted a nifty guide on the relocation rules in the NFL and the process that teams have to go through to end up in a new home. Needless to say, it’s a messy process and not always a pretty one.
Essentially, the Chargers had to have explored all avenues for a current home in San Diego and then when that’s not possible, 24 of 32 NFL owners must vote and okay the decision for them to move. The move of the franchise must also work in the best interest of the team and the league.
It’s always tough to see a team go and the Chargers had spent 55 years in the San Diego area. Now, they will move to the Los Angeles area and it will be interesting to see the fan response in the market to receiving a new team.