Ever since Roger Goodell became NFL Commissioner, it's been fairly quiet on the Los Angeles-NFL team front. Obviously the stadium situation in LA needs to change in order for pro football to come back. It remains to be seen whether that will be in the form of a renovated Coliseum, a new stadium in Anaheim, or a new facility elsewhere in the region. But with the NFL showing little impetus to expand and mess with its perfect 32-team 8-division format, Los Angeles will likely need an existing team to relocate in order to realize its NFL dreams.
We've heard rumors in the past about the Chargers, Saints, Raiders, Vikings, and other teams, but there's one situation that Los Angeles might want to keep its eye on. Today, in both the Florida Times-Union and the Orlando Sentinel, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver was peppered with questions about the future of his club. Weaver denied speculation that the Jaguars are for sale, but he spoke openly about his team's difficulties in selling tickets and his recent cost-cutting moves which downsized the front office. The Jaguars may face a local TV blackout for their season-opener this Sunday against Vince Young's Tennessee Titans.
"Jacksonville is a good football market. That [ticket-selling problem] has more to do with being a small market and some of it is the economy right now. The market has a large blue-collar work force," Weaver said.
ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports that at the Jaguars have seen at least 25-percent of its season ticket holders decline to renew in each of the past two seasons. He adds that the team is carrying a $110 million service debt.
With all of the problems facing Jacksonville, one can't help but wonder when the Jaguars will start considering Los Angeles. It's obviously a much bigger market that offers significantly greater revenue possibilities. And with a head coach who went to USC and a terrific young running back who went to UCLA, the Jaguars have some built-in LA ties. Los Angeles Jaguars? It's not being publicly discussed, but it does make some sense.
