NFL notes: Optimism for San Diego, Oakland lacking

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t saying whether he’s optimistic that San Diego and Oakland can keep their teams, while Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay considers both franchises all but gone.

Dean Spanos of the Chargers and the Raiders’ Mark Davis weren’t talking at the NFL owners meeting Wednesday in Irving, Texas. And no new specifics were revealed by Goodell a day after city and county officials in Oakland agreed to open negotiations with an investment group on a $1.3 billion plan for a new stadium.

“As you know, these issues have been going on for an awful long time,” Goodell said. “The challenges of getting stadiums built is something that we’ve worked very hard on. We have not made great progress in Oakland and San Diego. There is not a stadium proposal on the table that we think addresses the long-term issues of the clubs and the communities.”

The Chargers face a Jan. 15 deadline to decide whether to join the Rams in Los Angeles, part of a deal struck almost a year ago when owners agreed to let the Rams leave St. Louis. A Chargers-written ballot measure asking for $1.15 billion in increased hotel taxes to help fund a new downtown stadium was soundly defeated last month.

Earlier this year, Davis said he was committed to moving the Raiders to Las Vegas, where a $1.9 billion stadium project has been approved. He declined to comment Wednesday when asked by The Associated Press about the vote a day earlier in Oakland.

The Raiders will have from the end of their season, which will likely include their first trip to the playoffs since 2002, until Feb. 15 to apply for relocation. Irsay didn’t offer any encouraging words for San Diego or Oakland.

“I think that there is at this point really no reason for optimism in either market for the Chargers and Raiders right now,” Irsay said. “We’ll see what happens. That’s the way it appears to be going with the year ending here.”

Irsay said it would be “fruitless” to extend the deadline facing the Chargers on their Los Angeles decision. He suggested that Spanos and Rams owner Stan Kroenke would reach an agreement to share Kroenke’s new stadium in Inglewood.

“You know this process has been going on for a very, very long time in San Diego,” Irsay said. “Dean’s going to need to make a decision on what’s best for the Chargers and go forward. I know as owners we all felt two teams could be supported in Los Angeles, unquestionably.”

Goodell said the NFL was still committed to keeping the teams in their respective cities, a point he said he reiterated with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer on Tuesday.

“But ultimately it’s for the community to decide,” Goodell said. “We have worked to try to get the referendum passed. And we’ll continue to work with the local officials. But ultimately, they have to determine what it is they want to do in the community, what it is that can work for the community and the team.”

Among other issues Goodell addressed:

–The salary cap will increase at least another $10 million for the fourth year in a row, which Goodell said was a sign that the labor deal reached in 2011 was working. “This is healthy for us,” Goodell said. “We should continue to find ways to continue to extend that and make sure that we address things that we think we could make better.”

When the NFL and the players’ union did a long-term deal with no opt-out clause, the idea was to help drive up revenues, which in turn makes the cap rise. The more the cap rises the more cash teams have to spend on players.

Had there been an opt-out clause, as previous collective bargaining agreements had, a lockout or strike scenario would have been possible during the contract.

Goodell mentioned the league is interested in an extension of the CBA. It’s unlikely the union would favor anything short of negotiations on a new deal in which both sides could address any perceived shortcomings in the current agreement.

–The NFL will experiment with the number of advertisements in TV breaks during Week 16 games as it continues to evaluate a decline in ratings this season. The changes are not expected to reduce the time for ads, but perhaps the number of ads in a break and how many breaks there are. “We’re evaluating every aspect of the game presentation on television, on media platforms and also in stadiums,” Goodell said.

Cardinals release WR Floyd

The Arizona Cardinals released wide receiver Michael Floyd on Wednesday, two days after his early morning arrest on charges of driving under the influence and failure to obey a police officer in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Coach Bruce Arians declined to comment on the move other than to say it was a “totally” unanimous decision by him, team president Michael Bidwill and general manager Steve Keim.

Safety Tyrann Mathieu described Floyd as “like a brother” and said the players were shocked and “in disbelief” after the move.

“He’s a good guy,” said Mathieu, who overcame marijuana-related problems that got him kicked out of LSU and became a 2015 All-Pro selection. “I think we all make mistakes.”

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Floyd, who was to become a free agent at the end of this season, was taken into custody early Monday after being found unconscious behind the wheel of his running vehicle at an intersection in suburban Scottsdale

Peterson back practicing

Adrian Peterson is returning to practice this week for the Minnesota Vikings for the first time since tearing the meniscus in his right knee in September.

Coach Mike Zimmer says he expects Peterson to practice all week. He is not sure if his star running back will be available to play the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.

Peterson told a local website earlier this week that he is still targeting the game against Green Bay on Dec. 24 to make his return to the field. He tore his meniscus on Sept. 18 against Green Bay and has missed the last 11 games.

The Vikings (7-6) are operating under the assumption that they have to win their final three games to make the playoffs.

Around the league

Falcons coach Dan Quinn has updated star receiver Julio Jones’ injury as a sprained toe instead of turf toe. Jones’ status for Sunday’s game against San Francisco remains uncertain. … Quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed Green Bay’s practice on Wednesday to focus on rehabbing his leg injuries, a plan that coach Mike McCarthy says will likely stay in place for the quarterback through Thursday. But signs point to Rodgers still being ready to play Sunday in Chicago. … Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and the woman who accused him of rape while both attended Florida State University have settled the civil lawsuit she brought against him. Court records show that Winston and his accuser, Erica Kinsman, have agreed to settlement terms and anticipate filing a joint motion for dismissal within 20 days.