A new lease on life for NFL in L.A.?

By SAM FARMER

Jan. 27, 2009 12 AM PT

ON THE NFL

TAMPA, FLA. — The NFL is willing to consider a return to its Los Angeles roots.

Evidently, so are the San Diego Chargers.

While the league is kicking around the notion of playing the 50th Super Bowl in L.A. -- where the first one took place -- the onetime L.A. Chargers appear to be inching closer to a possible return to their birthplace.

As is always the case with the on-again, off-again saga of the NFL’s flirtation with the nation’s second-largest market, nothing is written in stone. In fact, it’s more like murky skywriting, completely at the mercy of the fickle winds of change.

But more smoke signals came Monday when the Chargers signed a deal with Los Angeles-based Wasserman Media Group to market the franchise in L.A. and Orange County, a development that surely will be viewed by some as greasing the skids for a move north. There hasn’t been a team in the L.A. area since the Raiders and Rams left after the 1994 season.

“The bottom line is Los Angeles and Orange County are two of the most lucrative markets in the world,” said Mark Fabiani, the team’s point man on stadium issues. “There’s no NFL team in those markets, and there’s no reason the Chargers can’t pursue those areas in these difficult economic times.”

Possible motivations aside, this much is clear: The Chargers, who have been working on a San Diego stadium solution for seven years and so far have been unsuccessful, are better positioned to move than any other NFL team.

Beginning on Super Bowl Sunday -- of all days -- the Chargers will have a three-month window in which to relocate. And, under the team’s current lease terms with the city of San Diego, that window will reopen every year from this point forward. The city cannot sue the Chargers or the NFL to block a move, provided it is paid a $56-million lease-termination fee that will decrease over time.

“We’re definitely a lot closer to the end of this process than the beginning,” said Fabiani, adding that the club has spent $10 million to fully explore stadium options around San Diego County, most recently two sites in Chula Vista. “This is not a process that can go on forever.”

At stake for the Chargers is the head start they have over other NFL franchises that also are likely to be mulling relocation. The Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings, for instance, are bound to their cities through the 2011 season.

The issue in L.A. has always been, where would a relocated team play?

The latest option is Ed Roski’s proposed stadium in Industry, which should have all of its approvals in place by this spring and then will receive the go-ahead from the NFL to formally approach potential tenants.

Roski wants to own part of an NFL team. That means he would have to get out of the gaming business -- he owns the Silverton hotel-casino in Las Vegas -- and restructure his offer to pay cash (and not simply trade development rights) for the piece of a franchise. That won’t come cheap, considering the average valuation of an NFL club is now $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

Even though NFL owners are holding their annual March meetings in Laguna Beach -- the first time in a decade those have taken place anywhere in the vicinity of L.A. -- the Roski proposal is not on the agenda.

What could be informally discussed, however, is the concept of L.A.’s playing host to Super Bowl L, the 50th edition of the game. That was first proposed by Casey Wasserman, chairman of the marketing company working with the Chargers, and Tim Leiweke, president of AEG, which owns Staples Center.

The idea is that the Super Bowl in 2016 would return to its roots; the first one was played at the L.A. Coliseum on Jan. 15, 1967. The 2016 game -- along with the Pro Bowl that precedes it by a week -- could be played at the Coliseum, Rose Bowl or a third stadium, if one is built by then.

The concept is novel because a Super Bowl has never been hosted by a non-NFL city. (That includes Super Bowl XIX, which, although it was played at Stanford Stadium, was hosted by San Francisco.) At least one owner, Jim Irsay of the Indianapolis Colts, has made it clear he would support such a return to L.A.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that if somebody were to say, ‘We’re going to go out and get this thing,’ they’d have a helluva chance,” Irsay said in November. “They’d have my vote, I’ll tell you that.”

Were the process a simple one, it might be a slam dunk for L.A. But the competition for Super Bowls is fierce, and Irsay might have been feeling especially magnanimous because, A) he has lots of ties to L.A., including a membership at Riviera Country Club, and B) his city has already been awarded a Super Bowl for its new stadium.

When asked about the possibility of another L.A. Super Bowl -- the Southland has played host to seven -- Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney said that he would be willing to listen but that “everybody wants a Super Bowl.” The Steelers, who play at an outdoor stadium in a cold-weather city, have never hosted one.

Bryan Glazer, whose family owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said Monday that he too would like to hear an L.A. Super Bowl proposal but declined to say whether he is in favor of the concept.

“I would be open-minded,” he said. “We have to see the situation in L.A. at the time, the potential for solving the situation there. . . . I think it’s more important to have a team in L.A., whether it’s the 49th or the 53rd Super Bowl. That’s the bigger issue.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX0

On the move?

Scouting NFL teams that could relocate to L.A.:

San Diego Chargers

Beginning Sunday, a three-month window opens that would allow the Chargers to relocate to another city. That window will now open each year. The team can leave its current home provided it pays a $56-million lease-termination fee that decreases over time.

The Chargers have spent seven years exploring stadium options in San Diego and say they have spent $10 million doing so.

Although a move probably would bring significant political objections in San Diego, the Chargers might not encounter those at the state level because theirs would be an in-state move. Odds of relocating: 5 to 1.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars, who have serious attendance problems in Jacksonville, have been for sale for months but have been unable to strike a deal.

Owner Wayne Weaver has promised that any new owner will be required to keep the team in Jacksonville for at least some time. He has predicted it will be at least 10 years before L.A. gets a team or teams.

The powerful political delegation in Florida would probably try to impede a move out of state.

Odds: 20 to 1.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings’ lease keeps them in Minnesota through the 2011 season.

Two former NFL commissioners, Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue, firmly expressed their desire for the team to stay where it is.

Owner Zygi Wilf has strong ties to Los Angeles, and might ultimately attempt to move the team if all stadium options there are exhausted. He is proposing a $900-million venue in downtown Minneapolis, two-thirds of which would be paid for with public money. Odds: 25 to 1.

Buffalo Bills

Ralph Wilson, 90-year-old owner of the Bills, said his heirs will not keep the franchise in the family after he dies.

Buffalo is a small market, but it’s clear the Bills and the NFL are trying to make inroads into the Toronto area, presumably to keep the team within the region.

The Bills got unanimous approval from NFL owners to play one regular-season game in Toronto each year through the 2012 season. Odds: 30 to 1.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams have a very favorable stadium deal in St. Louis and, in general, have been supported well by that community.

The franchise has not made a major push to secure a new stadium deal and needs to do a lot to satisfy the league’s relocation guidelines.

Chip Rosenbloom, one of the Rams’ new owners, has looked into selling the franchise, and a buyer probably would push hard to move it. Odds: 35 to 1.

Oakland Raiders

The team is bound by its Oakland lease to stay through the 2011 season.

The NFL wants to take a hard look at the concept of a two-team stadium in the Bay Area that the Raiders and San Francisco 49ers would share.

Would the league be willing to help finance a stadium through loans and Super Bowl commitments if the Raiders have not made a concerted effort to secure a new stadium in Oakland?

Odds: 35 to 1.

New Orleans Saints

The NFL got a huge public-relations boost when the Saints returned to a rebuilt Superdome, which had been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Leaving New Orleans would be a PR nightmare.

Lots of teams have left cities before, however, and endured the fallout that comes with it.

Saints owner Tom Benson also has ties to San Antonio -- a city that badly wants an NFL team -- although the league would be far more inclined to fill the L.A. void. Odds: 80 to 1.

San Francisco 49ers

Despite their losing over the past decade, the 49ers are still considered a crown-jewel franchise, an almost inconceivable mover.

Still, the 49ers, who play in the league’s worst stadium, are free to leave under the terms of their lease.

Commissioner Roger Goodell wants the franchise to explore the possibility of a two-team stadium with the Raiders. Odds: 99 to 1.

-- Sam Farmer

About this series

It has been 25 years since the Los Angeles Raiders won the Super Bowl. In a three-part series, Times NFL writer Sam Farmer looks back at Super Bowl XVIII, examines the franchise’s impact on the Southland and reports what might lie ahead for the big game and the NFL in Southern California.

Sunday: Behind the scenes of Super Bowl XVIII

Monday: “Silver and Black” in L.A.

Today: A Super future?

Super Bowl XLIII

PITTSBURGH VS. ARIZONA

Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

3 p.m. PST, Channel 4

Recession-proof

The Super Bowl seems immune to hard times, with sponsors snapping up $3-million TV ads. PAGE A1

A coach’s coaches

Steelers’ Tomlin, a Super Bowl coach at 36, says he owes much to mentors like Dungy, Gruden. PAGE 6

latimes.com/sports