An NFL return to L.A.? There's a lot of smoke but still no fire

The three most common ways to begin a joke:
Two guys walk into a bar . . .
A traveling salesman spends the night at a farmer's house . . .

The NFL is coming back to Los Angeles . . .

Since the Raiders and Rams uprooted and moved in 1995, the football world has predicted and projected and pontificated on when the nation's No. 1 sport would return to its No. 2 market.

If this game were being officiated, we'd be knee deep in false-start flags.

And here it comes again, competing stadium proposals elbowing for the spotlight, teams making it known they are unhappy in their current cities, and now the head of the league's stadium committee, Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney II — typically shy to crank up the hype machine — predicting an imminent NFL return to L.A.

"I would think that, within five years, L.A. would have a team," Rooney recently told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's two teams."
Those of us who have covered this saga for a decade or more have come to expect relocation talk every spring — "If it's May, it must be L.A." is our saying — but the volume of rumors and rumblings this summer has not only continued but increased.
So what gives? Is an NFL team in L.A. right around the corner? To cover a lot of strands of this story, here are answers to some of the primary questions:
Are we thisclose to getting a team?
No. Until the right deal's on the table, the NFL isn't putting a team here. And the right deal is not on the table.
What are the two deals?
In the most basic terms, developer Ed Roski is telling prospective L.A. owners, "I control 600 acres in City of Industry. Come build the stadium I've proposed, at your expense, and the land is yours. Oh, and sell me a piece of your team at market price."

Roski's competitor, AEG, is saying: "We'll build a downtown stadium and upgrade the convention center. Come play here — and sell Philip Anschutz a piece of your team at a discount price — and we guarantee you'll make big bucks."

Roski has had lots of tire kickers but so far no takers. AEG hasn't gotten environmental clearance for its plan but hopes to by late September (with a 175-day period to follow during which all legal issues must be resolved). Backers of both proposals say they are flexible and willing to configure their deals to whatever reasonably works with the NFL and an owner.
Are there any other stadium sites the NFL is considering?

The league will look at Dodger Stadium and Carson, but if either of those were to emerge as a serious candidate, you can bet the process will be pushed back another five years or longer.

Which teams are in the mix?

The top three relocation candidates are the Chargers, Rams and Raiders, all of whom played in L.A. at one point in their histories. All are unhappy with their stadiums. As long as specific criteria are met, the Chargers can leave after this season, the Raiders can leave after 2013 and the Rams can leave after 2014.

Source: Los Angeles Times