With the clock ticking on the San Diego Chargers’ year-long option to join the Rams in Los Angeles, a series of factors – including the delicate timeframe, the involvement of the Oakland Raiders and the NFL’s hopes of minimizing the disruption of relocating multiple franchise – could soon converge to satisfy objectives from New York to Southern California to Las Vegas.

And in the process, leave Los Angeles all to the Rams.

At least physically.

And for now, anyway.

The Chargers have until Jan. 15 to exercise their option to join the Rams or remain in San Diego. After the 15th, the option is relinquished to the Raiders.

Both teams were approved by NFL owners last January to relocate to Los Angeles as partners with the Rams.

In the 12 months since, the Chargers pursued a stadium measure in downtown San Diego that was ultimately defeated by San Diego voters last November.

Meanwhile, the Raiders created a stadium option in Las Vegas in which they will kick in $500 million, their partner Sheldon Adelson of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. will contribute $650 million and the state of Nevada will add $750 million from a hotel tax increase.

The Raiders are expected to file for relocation to Las Vegas as soon as their season ends, which could be this weekend or might extend to February, depending how far they advance in the playoffs.

Their relocation hopes will ultimately rest with fellow NFL owners, 24 of whom would have to approve their move to Las Vegas. While nothing is guaranteed, there is strong indication the Raiders will get the support they need – especially with the NFL publicly conceding there is currently no viable plan in Oakland.

Here is where it gets tricky, and why the NFL might be looking at alternate means with which to buy the Chargers more time while achieving multiple other objectives.

Even if the Raiders’ season ends Saturday in a wild-card loss to the Houston Texans and they cast their bid for relocation at the beginning of next week, it remains unknown when all 32 NFL owners will converge to vote on their fate.

That unknown could create enough uneasiness with Chargers owner Dean Spanos that he pulls the trigger on Los Angeles before Jan. 15. Not necessarily because his heart is set on Los Angeles, but out of simple fear if he doesn’t – and relinquishes the L.A. option to the Raiders in the process – the Raiders could take his L.A. landing spot if they are denied Las Vegas.

The NFL, in an attempt to mitigate things, and has scheduled a special meeting for the owner-comprised stadium and finance committees Jan. 11-12 in New York to analyze options. Nothing is guaranteed, but those options would require flexibility and a possible break from precedence among NFL owners.

The Chargers problems getting a stadium deal in San Diego are multi-fold. They operate in a state that rues approving public money for professional sports stadiums, and with a vote required for any public contribution it might be another two years before a new stadium proposal goes to a ballot.

With no guarantee that vote will succeed, and with time running out on Spanos’ spot in San Diego, his uneasiness is understandable. He could end up with no new stadium in San Diego and no landing spot in L.A.

That’s awfully risky business.

Unless his fellow owners spring into action soon.

And there are strong indications that might happen.

The NFL is expected to consider kicking in more league money in order to reduce the public’s portion of, say, a new stadium near the Mission Valley site the Chargers currently play.

In doing so, it would reduce the public contribution in San Diego while increasing the chances of a favorable vote.

To buy the necessary time for that vote to unfold, the NFL could give strong assurances to the Raiders they will be approved for Las Vegas, thus allowing them to relinquish their L.A. option to the Chargers to give the Chargers more time – and peace of mind – to work things out in San Diego.

With just a little more creativity and open-mindedness, the NFL could create a strong TV ratings base in Los Angeles without adding a second team here to cut into the Rams physical hold on the market.

There is no doubt the Raiders have a strong L.A. foothold, and the NFL could designate them the quasi second team in the market, albeit from afar. They’d simply need to adjust the TV rules and allow Raiders games to be televised opposite Rams home games.

In doing so, the NFL would create an L.A. ratings bonanza by pairing the Rams and Raiders.

At the end of the day, the Chargers get at least two more years to work something out in San Diego, with Los Angeles remaining an option should a vote be rejected.

Meanwhile, the Raiders will create new horizons in Las Vegas while also remaining a strong presence in Los Angeles.

And the Rams get what they ultimately wanted from the beginning: Los Angeles all to themselves.

Of course, Spanos and the Chargers could wake up tomorrow and simply decide they’ve given San Diego enough time and they no longer believe a stadium path is available there. At which point they’ll pull the trigger on L.A.

Which would render all this moot.

So stay tuned.

Contact the writer: vbonsignore@scng.com