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With news of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sending out a memo in regards to a team relocating to Los Angeles, the chances of the Jacksonville Jaguars making the move become increasingly more unlikely, at least to the national media. Locally, we've long known the chance of the Jaguars upping and bolting to L.A. wasn't all that realistic, but until now many people didn't look into what would need to occur for it to happen.
SB Nation's Ryan Van Bibber took a look at the teams most commonly linked to Los Angeles and breaks down their chances.
The Jaguars are constantly and unfairly lumped into the Los Angeles discussion. Hidden behind the tarps at the EverBank field is a pretty ironclad lease that locks the team in through 2029, a fact often missed by pundits.
To break their lease, the Jaguars would have to show three consecutive years of operating at a loss, something that is extremely difficult in the increasingly profitable NFL, especially with new, richer television deals in place for 2014. A team opening its books might also cause heart attacks at 345 Park Ave. If the Jaguars did make it that far, they would be on the hook for the balance of the remaining rent, $750,000 a year in ticket surcharge fees and $200,000 per year in parking fees, both running through 2029. Relocation fees would add to that cost.
These are all points most of us have known, as I mentioned before. I do agree with Van Beebs in the sense that the most suitable candidate appears to be the San Diego Chargers.