The city of Los Angeles has been instrumental in the history of the Seattle Seahawks, most notably when former owner Ken Behring’s failed attempt to relocate the franchise there ushered in Paul Allen and, eventually, a Super Bowl title.

Now, the NFL’s desire to reestablish franchises in the country’s No. 2 media market could have the Hawks moving again — but back to familiar territory. Seattle is a rumored target to switch divisions for the third time in team history, rejoining the AFC West, where they played from 1977 to 2001.

A report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio over the weekend claimed that the league hopes to move two franchises to the City of Angels “within the next 12 to 24 months.” According to Florio, the only three legitimate options for relocation are the St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

Of those three, the Chargers and Raiders — rivals since their AFL days — seem the most likely candidates for L.A. due to their respective stadium situations, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole. The Raiders’ lease with Oakland for O.co Coliseum expires after the 2014 season, Florio reported, and the Chargers could move from Qualcomm Stadium by “paying a relocation fee that shrinks every year.”

But that brings up a problem for the NFL, which doesn’t want two teams from the same conference sharing a city.

One solution? Move Oakland to the NFC West — as Raiders owner Mark Davis has volunteered — in exchange for one of the four teams currently in Seattle’s division, according to Cole. The Seahawks, with history in the AFC, would be the prime candidate to switch back to their old AFC West haunts.

A move back to the AFC would mean leaving an NFC West in which Seattle has experienced a lot of success, cultivating one of the league’s best rivalries with the San Francisco 49ers. Since the Hawks moved to the NFC as part of the NFL’s realignment in 2002, they have dominated their division, qualifying for postseason appearances in eight of their 12 years there with six division crowns and two wild-card berths.

Seattle didn’t experience the same success in the AFC. After playing their inaugural 1976 season in the NFC, the Hawks made the playoffs in just five of 25 AFC seasons while facing the Chargers, Raiders, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs twice per year.

Where would you like to see the Seahawks play in the future? NFC West: We won a Super Bowl here, let's stay

AFC West: Time to get back to some old rivalries

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