After 22 years without an NFL team, Los Angeles looks like it’s about to house a pair.
The Chargers plan to leave San Diego and join the recently relocated Rams in Los Angeles next season, ESPN reported Wednesday night. While the official announcement is expected as early as Thursday, the Chargers chairman, Dean Spanos, hasn’t yet sent the formal relocation letter to the league. A last-minute change of heart is still possible, if unlikely.
San Diego has been home to the Chargers for 55 years, but rumors that the team would move farther north to Los Angeles and share the Rams’ sparkling new stadium in 2019 have been circulating for years. The league’s biggest concern with relocating the Chargers has been the economic ramifications of having two teams in the same market, as well as taking a team from San Diego fans — who are receiving the news they have been dreading. There had been growing momentum that the Chargers would remain in San Diego, with other owners reportedly trying to convince Spanos a move wasn’t necessary.
The Chargers finished the season last in the AFC West with a 5-11 record, one win better than the team with which they likely will be sharing a city next season. They will not — originally at least — be sharing a stadium, however. According to Pro Football Talk, the Chargers will be playing at the StubHub Center until they move in to a glitzy new stadium with the Rams in 2019.