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Under the terms of the NFL’s relocation policy, there’s only one team that could as a practical matter move to Los Angeles in 2013. And that team has informed the mayor of its current city that it is staying put.

According to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times, the Chargers have advised Mayor Bob Filner that the franchise will not exercise its ability to leave San Diego, and that the Chargers will not be applying for relocation to L.A. for the next football season.

“For more than a decade the Chargers have done everything possible to find a stadium solution in San Diego, and we are going to continue to work hard in 2013 with the new Mayor and City Council,” Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani said, via Farmer.

The Chargers have a buyout that drops in amount each year, and a specific annual window within which to exercise it. Likewise, the NFL creates a specific period early every calendar year during which teams may apply for the opportunity to relocate.

The team’s decision to not move in 2013 doesn’t mean the team will never move. Indeed, the Chargers remain on the short list of teams most likely to fill the void in Los Angeles, if/when that ever happens.