LOS ANGELES (AP) – Construction of an NFL stadium in the Los Angeles area could come with another change: a possible shift in division for the Oakland Raiders or the San Diego Chargers.
The teams have proposed a shared $1.7 billion stadium in the city of Carson – one of two stadium proposals being considered by the NFL near Los Angeles that could bring professional football back to the region after a two-decade absence.
Carmen Policy, a former San Francisco 49ers executive who was hired to help oversee the Carson project, said Monday that the teams have agreed to shift divisions, if necessary, to make the project acceptable to the league.
The Chargers and Raiders are rivals in the AFC West, which could make game scheduling and other issues difficult in a shared stadium.
The teams have made clear to the league and NFL owners that “you send us to LA and you’ll make the decision as to who plays in what conference or division,” Policy told reporters after detailing stadium plans for business leaders and a sports group at an event in downtown Los Angeles.
“There are some very interesting scenarios, depending on how all this turns out,” Policy said.
He said the teams recognized long ago there could be potential scheduling conflicts within a shared stadium in Carson.
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