Musical chairs over Los Angeles relocation could help Toronto’s chances of landing an NFL team

When the Buffalo Bills were purchased by folks who made it clear the franchise would remain in Western New York permanently, a lot of those monitoring Toronto’s chances of landing an NFL franchise figured it was time to wake up from the “NFL in Toronto” dream.

But Terry Pegula told QMI Agency’s John Kryk this week that he would actually support an NFL team in Toronto, despite the fact said franchise would compete against the Bills for fans. After all, Toronto and Buffalo are separated by only about 100 miles and it is estimated that more than 15 percent of those who buy tickets to Bills games actually reside on the other side of the border.

Clearly, Pegula believes his organization could survive those circumstances, and commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed at the owners meetings this week in Arizona that Toronto’s future as a potential NFL host was never a factor in the sale to Terry and Kim Pegula, adding that “Toronto is an important market.”

So if Toronto is completely in play, you have to wonder if Bon Jovi and his corporate peers — the same folks who lost their bid for the Bills following the passing of Ralph Wilson — are waiting patiently to see what unfolds in San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis.

Right now, the Chargers, Raiders and Rams are flirting heavily with the city of Los Angeles as they battle with local governmental bodies over funding for new stadiums. The Raiders and Chargers are talking about building a venue together in nearby Carson, while Rams owner Stan Kroenke also has a two-team Los Angeles County stadium proposal in place.

Right now, all three of those franchises are successfully alienating their fan bases. And sure, they could all go crawling back and likely survive in new venues after winning tugs of war, but there’s also a chance they’re doing too much damage. And the reality is all three can’t go to LA.

The league does seem to believe two teams could play in LA together, which is why it appears everybody’s looking for a dance partner. But at least one team will be left on the sideline here, and if that team doesn’t get something done at home after what has already been a humiliating dance with another market, Toronto could be the ideal rebound destination.

Sure, London’s always in play, but the logistics are a larger obstacle there and it’s not as though there have been any commitments from potential ownership groups out of the United Kingdom. If the NFL were to return to LA, Toronto would become by far the largest market in Canada or the United States without an NFL team, and we know there are people in that city who have the capital and the interest.

So Toronto NFL fans can keep dreaming. It’s better than nothing.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com (covering Super Bowls XLIV, XLV and XLVI), a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Bloguin, but his day gig has him covering all things NFC East for Bleacher Report.

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