Could the Arizona Cardinals end up in the AFC West?
May 21, 2015, 9:02 AM | Updated: 9:06 am
It’s no longer a matter of if the NFL will return to Los Angeles, it’s now just a matter of when it will happen and what team/teams land there.
Three franchises have been linked to L.A. relocation rumors: the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams.
The Chargers and Raiders have submitted a plan for construction of a joint stadium in Carson, located about 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Fruition of this plan could have a ripple effect on the Arizona Cardinals.
According to CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora, there is support around the league for the Chargers-Raiders proposal, although that would lead to other issues for commissioner Roger Goodell. Namely, conference realignment.
Could well be the Chargers and Raiders both move in 2016. It would take two game-day facilities to do so — sources at The Rose Bowl have continued to tell me they cannot support two teams at the same time — and it could be both teams would use their current training facilities for practices for the first season in LA. Some in the know have speculated the Chargers, in exchange for getting the keys to LA, end up moving to the NFC, with perhaps the Cardinals going to the AFC West, which would maintain the Raiders’ rivalries with the Chiefs and Broncos, for as much as that is worth.
Due to the league’s television deals, with NFC games being televised by FOX and AFC games on CBS, two teams in the same market can not be in the same conference. So if the Carson project were to happen, either the Chargers or Raiders would have to swap to the NFC.
Would you be in favor of the Cardinals, one of the oldest franchises in the league and a charter member of the NFC since 1970, switching conferences? Let us know in the comments section below.
