As Cowboys owner Jerry Jones uses the far-from-home Oxnard training camp as a device for luring more folks to follow his team, the Cowboys could eventually have some California competition.
Jones tells Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the NFL is moving toward a return to L.A.
“Closer than ever -- ever being since they left, which has been a long time much to my surprise and anticipation,” Jones said, referring to the relocations of the Rams (from Anaheim) and Raiders (from the Coliseum) after the 1994 season. “There are some viable ways for a team or teams to be in Los Angeles. We’ve got some very talented and very qualified people that want to be a part of it that are not a part of the league right now. We, obviously, have people within the league that want this very much. . . .
“I think we’re closer,” Jones added. “I say that not just wishing. I say that, technically, because I’m aware of some things that make sense.”
Before a team can move to L.A., a stadium must be built. The league has no apparently interest in Ed Roski’s shovel-ready project in the City of Industry. Farmers Field -- the only stadium in league history that finagled a naming-rights deal without a green light to build the place -- has stagnated. The current flavor of the month has become the Chavez Ravine location near Dodgers Stadium, but rights held by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt coupled with widely-anticipated objections from local residents could make it impossible to pull off.
So while it’s possible that a return to L.A. is closer than ever, it’s also possible that there’s still many years and many (many) millions of dollars to go.