NFL oomph

More and more analysts suspect that the National Football League owners won't make a decision on a team relocation to Los Angeles at their meeting January 12 and 13. For one thing, NFL Media Insider on the NFL's own network said Sunday that the relocation fee will be $550 million per team going to Los Angeles. That figure was thrown out a bit ago, but not by a source so close to the league.

Since the figure was leaked on NFL Network, Neil deMause of fieldofschemes.com says it's "as close to an official leak as you're likely to get."

Frankly, I believe that $550 million per team would knock out both the Chargers and Raiders who, while not exactly impecunious, don't have that kind of money to put into a relocation fee.

However, deMause cautions that the NFL "could invent some kind of revenue sharing credit" that would reduce the figure. Overall, "the rapidly rising dark house candidate" won't be decided this month, says deMause. The winner needs 24 of the 32 votes; both sides have enough oomph to block the other.

There is another point deMause doesn't mention: Stan Kroenke, who wants to move the St.Louis Rams to L.A., who with his wife is a double-digit billionaire, is the only owner who could come up with a fat relocation fee like $550 million. Possibly $550 million was chosen to squeeze the Raiders and Chargers out. Maybe Kroenke will go it alone in Inglewood until he sees how the market reacts, then take a tenant or partner, perhaps the Chargers.