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If the Chargers don’t finalize a move to Los Angeles by the middle of January 2017, dibs on sharing Kroenkeworld with the Rams will slide to the Raiders. But it’s hard to imagine the NFL ultimately allowing the Raiders to make the move.

As explained in a lengthy article from Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta, Jr. of ESPN The Magazine regarding the machinations that resulted in the league’s return to Los Angeles, most owners wanted to keep the Raiders from making the move. Per the report, the owners pointed to bridges burned by the late Al Davis (a dynamic confirmed by Texans owner Bob McNair) and the potential “co-opting of the team apparel by gangs.”

It’s been believed that the Raiders would be welcomed back enthusiastically by fans in L.A., perhaps even more enthusiastically than the Rams have been welcomed back. The notion that owners are concerned that the Raiders would be welcomed back too enthusiastically by a specific type of criminal element, coupled with the linger animosity toward Al Davis, suggests that, even if the Chargers don’t move to L.A., the league will find a way to keep the Raiders from making their way back to town.