In most cities in almost any season, Sunday would represent a merciful conclusion to a disappointing campaign.

Instead, for San Diego, it is T-minus one day to a dreaded inevitability.

The Chargers will be one of the three teams submitting an application for relocation Monday, according to multiple sources.

Complete coverage: Broncos 27, Chargers 20

This has long been expected, but it will also be the most tangible step toward the Chargers leaving the city that for 55 years they have called home.


The application being submitted on the first day it is allowed sets up what should be a frenzied finish to the NFL’s relocation saga.

On Wednesday, Chargers chairman Dean Spanos, Oakland Raiders owners Mark Davis and St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke will be in New York answering questions regarding their respective L.A. projects posed by the six owners on the Los Angeles Committee.

The Chargers and Raiders are pointed toward a shared facility in Carson. The Rams have proposed a stadium, which could house two teams, in Inglewood. The hope of many in the league is that the L.A. Committee will by the end of the week have finalized its recommendation as to which site the NFL should pursue. That long-awaited endorsement, it is further hoped, will sway many undecided owners.

All 32 team owners are scheduled to meet Jan. 12 and 13 in Houston, where it is expected they will vote on which teams (if any) will move to Los Angeles.


Virtually every sign – including the wishes of an overwhelming majority of owners and, according to many owners, commissioner Roger Goodell – points to relocation happening in 2016. There does remain a possibility of a year’s delay, but the final push to avoid that begins Monday.