Chargers Owner Dean Spanos Expected to Accept Inglewood Option

Somewhat lost in the excitement and/or despair of the St. Louis Rams franchise returning home to Los Angeles is the fact that the San Diego Chargers’ fate has yet to be decided.

Although missing out on his first preference of LA, owner Dean Spanos is expected to pounce on the chance to move the team to Inglewood, California as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Spanos had made his intentions to relocate very clear in 2015, assuring many pundits that the move is not a matter of if, but when. The reprieve offered to San Diego’s fans will be very short lived indeed.

However, the fact that Stan Kroenke and the Rams scored first dibs at the LA pie leaves some questions regarding exactly how San Diego will follow suit. Namely, will Spanos’ franchise opt to go into partnership with Kroenke’s, or simply choose to be a tenant in the team’s new stadium?

Set for completion in September 2019, Spanos would have to fork out half of the construction expenses for the new building on top of the $550 million relocation fee owed to the league, which could make tenancy the most cost-effective option for the time being.

Besides, the man’s top priority isn’t so much owning a half-stake in a sexy new stadium as it is bailing out of the dilapidated and neglected Qualcomm Stadium back down south.

The Rams’ new home is the somewhat ironically-named City of Champions Stadium. Only one team has one a Super Bowl championship bearing the LA name, and it isn’t either of the teams preparing to move back there.

In the extremely unlikely event that this all breaks down and the Chargers stay in San Diego, Mark Davis and the Raiders would have the third bite at the LA cherry. But with the ball firmly in Spanos’ court, it is only a matter of time before the painful process of relocation again sours another NFL offseason.