The Chargers are going to be in San Diego for the 2016 season and they’re making a renewed effort toward getting a new stadium in the city that will keep them there for many more years to come.
They’ve hired Fred Maas to head up the efforts to get a yes from the public on a ballot measure to secure public financing for the stadium to go along with money from the league and the team. Chargers chairman Dean Spanos told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune that hiring Maas is part of a push to do “the best I can” to make sure a deal gets done before next January’s deadline to decide on moving to Los Angeles.
“Whatever we need to do, we’re going to do what we need to do to get this done,” Spanos said. “We’re trying as hard as we can. I can’t do it myself. It’s going to take the effort of the mayor; politically we need support. The business community needs to step up. I think once we have a definitive plan in place they’ll get behind us and support us. It has to economically make sense for the voters, and I think (the business community) will help make that case down the line and they’ll support us.”
Spanos acknowledged that a better on-field product will help those efforts -- “4-12 isn’t going to help much” -- and said that the prospect of less revenue in San Diego than he might realize in L.A. isn’t a big factor because success in the NFL “really comes down to the expertise of your general manager, player personnel, coach.” While there’s no guarantee that the efforts will lead to an agreement, Spanos is sending a different message than the one the team was sending last year and that shouldn’t hurt as all interested parties work toward a new stadium plan.
Chargers coach Mike McCoy is joining us on PFT Live on Wednesday morning (you can watch on NBCSN in addition to listening on NBC Sports Radio) and we’ll ask him about whether the uncertainty about the team’s ultimate home is going to be an issue when it comes to attracting free agents that could help improve their record.