Quote:I'm quite certain that success in LA is more important to the NFL than total control of exactly who gets there and how, which is why the Rams hold the upper hand. If the NFL tells Kroenke that the Chargers and Raiders are going to LA, all Kroenke has to say is, "Fine, so am I," and the NFL's LA plans are in trouble.

 

Has Mark Davis expressed any interest in selling the Raiders? I've seen the idea floated that Davis and Kroenke would basically "trade" franchises, with Davis taking over the Rams and either getting a new stadium in STL or moving them to San Antonio, Kroenke getting his LA team with the Raiders, and the Chargers getting their new stadium in LA, whether that's in Carson or Inglewood. It's a convoluted scenario, but it does basically give everyone what they want (aside from Davis, who might not be thrilled about leaving one bad stadium situation for another).

 

  The LA situation has so many variables that it's almost impossible to predict what's going to end up happening across the spectrum.    Stan Kroenke's greatest advantage in the situation is his wealth.   Yet,  at the same time,  St. Louis probably will have the best stadium plan situation of the 3 markets that could potentially lose their respective teams.   San Diego is a wildcard.   Dean Spanos'  ideal situation would probably be to get a new stadium in San Diego,  with no team in Los Angeles.   The latter isn't going to happen though.   What is one of the biggest questions of the whole puzzle,  at least on this end,   is would Spanos be comfortable with a state of the art stadium at his favorite San Diego location,   but with the Rams and Raiders moving to LA?    Could Spanos even live with one team in LA from his perspective?     If Spanos has doubts about the long term revenue in San Diego with one or two teams in LA,  he's very likely going to do everything possible to move to LA.  

 

   My impression is Mark Davis wants to keep the Raiders.  The question is,  will he be able to,  considering he's not a wealthy owner from an NFL perspective,  and the estate taxes that will have to be paid when his mother passes away.   Hopefully,  the latter won't happen for a very long time. 

 

  While circumstances often change,  it seems like Mark Davis doesn't want to go to St. Louis.   At least with the Raiders.    Yet, knowing what his father built with the Raiders,  I would be surprised if he agreed to trade franchises.    I don't think his motivation is to own another team,  though I'm far from certain of this.

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