The NFL is Closer to Moving to LA, But With What Team?

As Magic Johnson announced the other day, he is teaming up with Tim Leiweke at AEG to help bring a NFL back to the city of Los Angeles. Now Johnson may not have been successful as a coach or NBA analyst, but there's no denying his popularity here in LA.

Could his celebrity and popularity help in pulling a team away from their current city and over to LA? Maybe, but what teams have a legitimate chance of actually moving?

Here are a few:

Minnesota Vikings: It was reported by ESPN that two Los Angeles based groups have contacted the Minnesota Vikings about a possible relocation to a slightly warmer climate. The Ed Roski group and former Minnesota Timberwolves CEO Tim Leiweke and AEG are the groups interested in removing the Vikings from Minneapolis.

Minnesota is in their final year of their lease at the Metrodome, and Vikings executives have been trying to get a new stadium up and running. Vice President of public affairs Lester Bagley talked about the issue the other day saying, "we feel solid momentum and feel we're well-positioned with the new legislature and governor. Instead of spending energy speculating on other markets, let's keep the focus on building a world-class facility for the community and the state of Minnesota."

Whether Bagley's comments come true remains to be seen, as financial issues could force the team into selling to one of the interested groups.

Buffalo Bills: The Buffalo Bills are another team that has been mentioned about coming to Los Angeles. Bills owner Ralph Wilson is 92 years old, and there has been talk about how much longer he can remain with the team. Once that time inevitably comes, who will step in for Wilson?

There's no denying the Bills are a small market team and struggle to sell out their stadiums, and their performance on the field certainly doesn’t help much. They even have some home games in Toronto in hopes to expand their fan market. Could a move to Los Angeles be their ideal solution?

San Diego Chargers: Another team in the running to move to Los Angeles, the San Diego Chargers. Rumors have been circling for months that they would move a few hours north to LA, but recent developments say otherwise.

It was reported on Tuesday that LA entrepreneur Phil Anschutz was about to, or already did purchase a 35 percent stake in the Chargers. However according to the San Deigo Trinbune, late Tuesday night the team's special counsel Mark Fabiani sent an an e-mail to reporters saying that "there is no truth to the rumor out of Toronto that the Chargers have agreed to sell a portion of the team to Mr. Anschutz."

This will most likely squash the rumors for now, but the think about rumors is that they always come back, so it's likely we haven't heard the last of the Chargers to LA talks.

Like the Bills, the Jacksonville Jaguars have had issues filling their stadium in the past years. Last season the Jaguars failed to sell out seven of their eight home games. Since crowds of over 90,000 people continuously watched the Rams and Raiders in the LA Coliseum all those years ago, some people feel a move to LA would solve some of the Jaguars problems; mainly the attendance issues.

A SportsNation poll on ESPN.com asking fans which team will most likely not have an NFL in five years has Jacksonville receiving the most votes at 40%, with Los Angeles behind them at 28%. Buffalo, Minneapolis and San Diego at 19%, 10% and 3% respectivley.

Do you think LA will have a football team in five years? If so, from which city will the team come from?