I recently posted that 49ers CEO Jed York hinted his opposition the joint Chargers/Raiders stadium proposal in Carson because it would force an unwanted NFC West realignment. This is significant because any franchise relocation must be approved by 24 of the 32 NFL owners––or defeated by 9 of them.
Well, Mr. York recently offered the uncontroversial prediction that one or two teams will play in L.A. in 2016, but followed up with this interesting insight:
You’ve got the Inglewood site that is shovel ready. It’s much further ahead than any other site. … Carson is a viable site, but Inglewood is ahead because you could literally start tomorrow.
In other words, Mr. York seems to favor the Rams’ Inglewood proposal over the Chargers/Raiders’ Carson proposal. It’s not difficult to understand why, either.
Time is money in business, and the NFL is very big business. The new L.A. stadium would draw far more revenue than temporary accommodations in the Coliseum, Dodger Stadium, or wherever else the transplanted franchises hang their hats while construction is underway. The additional time in temporary stadiums that is apparently necessary to complete the Carson project translates into lost profits under the NFL’s revenue sharing scheme––valued one year ago at $6 billion.
Like my last post on the topic, this is no smoking gun, and a lot can change between now and the vote. However, it does provide some insight into the owners’ thought process, and they are the ones who will ultimately determine which teams play where over the next few seasons. I’m sure Mr. York isn’t the only owner offering his thoughts on the matter, so I would be very curious to know what other teams’ owners have to say.