San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is receptive to having the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers play this Sunday's game in Mission Valley if the Oakland Coliseum becomes unavailable due to the wildfires in the Bay Area, a mayoral aide said.
But, as of mid-day Wednesday, there was no indication that the NFL seeks a temporary relocation to San Diego for the Week 6 matchup.
"I am not aware of any request that has come from the NFL to date," said Faulconer's chief of staff, Aimee Fawcett.
"We are always happy to help other cities during times like these."
An NFL spokesperson, per multiple reports, said the league is monitoring the air quality in Oakland.
"At this point, the game remains scheduled for Sunday in Oakland," the league official said Wednesday.
Fawcett said she is aware of related precedent in 2003 when wildfires in San Diego County caused a Chargers-Cardinals game to be relocated to the Phoenix area.
Fans who attended the game in Arizona donated about $225,000 to aid victims of the fires.
Other relocations options for Sunday could include venues in the Bay Area and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a former Raiders home.
The Mission Valley stadium was the home to the Chargers from August 1967 through the 2016 season finale this past Jan. 1.
The Raiders could probably expect a pro-Raiders environment in Mission Valley if the atmosphere there Dec. 18 was the template.
Raiders fans were a noisy presence throughout the game, especially in the fourth quarter when the Chargers offense went to a silent count due to communication issues. Oakland won, 19-16.
At other games in San Diego, Raiders fans were less of a presence, but by last December, the specter of franchise relocation, along with poor on-field results spanning two seasons, seemingly eroded the willingness of Chargers fans to attend the home games.
Kickoff for the game Sunday is set for 1:25 p.m. local time.
