NFL exec: ‘Low probability’ San Diego gets new team if Chargers leave

If the Chargers bolt for Los Angeles, don’t expect San Diego to get another NFL team anytime soon.

NFL Executive Vice President Eric Grubman, who’s in charge of overseeing the league’s potential return to Los Angeles, doesn’t think there are other NFL options for San Diego if the Chargers relocate 115 miles north.

“I think San Diego is a great city,... [but] it’s a low-probability bet for any market to attract a team when expansion isn’t on the table,� Grubman told UT San Diego on Monday. “If you have a team, you should do everything to keep it because the backfill is a low probability.

“San Diego-specific, is it a low probability if there are already two teams nearby? Yeah. I just think, and I’ve said this in St. Louis to the St. Louis people, I’ve said it in Oakland, and I’ll say the same thing to San Diego: Focus on the team you have.�

Grubman’s advice seems pretty obvious, especially for Los Angeles NFL fans who’ve been waiting more than two decades for the league’s return to the country’s second-biggest market.

According to UT-San Diego, Grubman has scheduled an April 7 teleconference with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s stadium advisory committee. He plans to meet with the group face-to-face on April 14.

The committee recommended this month that a new stadium for the Chargers be built on a 166-acre site in Mission Valley. The team declined to comment on the recommendation but are not particularly pleased by it, according to an individual familiar with the thinking of club officials but not authorized to speak publicly on the topic.

Last month, the Chargers and Oakland Raiders jointly announced a plan to pursue the construction of a $1.7-billion stadium in Carson. Backers of the proposed stadium have collected more than 14,000 signatures in support of a ballot initiative for the project.

Staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.