10 cities that need NFL expansion teams

6. San Diego

Yet another city that recently lost its NFL team to the dream of greener pastures by an owner, San Diego is now a possible new/old market for the league to tap into. The foolishness of the Chargers moving is proven by the fact they’ll play in a soccer stadium for a season or two, with the limited capacity that comes with it, then become a tenant to Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke in that team’s new building. The franchise did start in the AFL as the Los Angeles Chargers, but this time around it’s very different.

San Diego has everything it needs to sustain an NFL franchise, shy of city and county leadership that seems willing to commit significant public money to a new stadium. Unless or until that changes, unfortunately, the NFL may not even have San Diego on its radar for anything. Cities may want to hold the line on pubic financing for pro sports stadiums, with bigger priorities in mind, but without it there’s no end in sight to leagues like the NFL allowing teams to move.

San Diego could wind up being like Los Angeles was for 20 years, as the “or else” threatened destination for teams struggling in their current market and theoretically in line for a new stadium as a spark to change things. So an eventual relocation may be in the cards, but an expansion plan for San Diego is also viable.