West Rumors: L.A., Irvin, Bailey, Morgan

In a terrific piece for ESPN The Magazine and Outside The Lines, Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. provide an in-depth timeline for how the Rams‘ move to Los Angeles played out, describing the process as having turned into an “open war” among NFL owners, many of whom would have preferred to see the Chargers‘ and Raiders‘ Carson plan approved.

The story is chock-full of fascinating details, and is worth reading in its entirety. However, one of the most intriguing items relates to the Raiders — according to the ESPN duo, most team owners wanted to avoid having the Raiders return to Los Angeles, in part because there were concerns about Al Davis‘ burned bridges, and local gangs co-opting team apparel. Those reservations ran so deep, the report suggests, that some owners wouldn’t even consider the Carson proposal.

If that’s true, one has to wonder if the league will allow the Raiders to make the move to Los Angeles a year from now, if the Chargers are ultimately able to work out a deal to remain in San Diego, passing their L.A. option onto Mark Davis and the Raiders. It’s believed that the same deal agreed to by the Chargers would be on the table for the Raiders, but we’ll have to wait to see if that’s indeed the case.

Here’s more out of the NFL’s West divisions:

• It is believed to be “highly unlikely” that the Seahawks will re-sign or franchise Bruce Irvin before he becomes a free agent next month, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Assuming he does, in fact, reach the open market, Irvin is on track for a big payday, according to Florio, who suggests that the linebacker should easily surpass $10MM as teams prioritize pass rushers.
• Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said in December that wide receiver Stedman Bailey, who was shot in the head twice last fall, likely wouldn’t play football again. However, Bailey isn’t willing to call it a career quite yet. Although he acknowledges the health risks and says that he doesn’t want to risk further serious injury to his head, Bailey will try to “continue to live out my dream,” he says in a YouTube video (link via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).
• Former NFL wide receiver Josh Morgan accidentally shot himself with a loaded gun and was charged with misdemeanor reckless use of a firearm, according to TMZ Sports. Morgan, who was selected by the 49ers in the sixth round of the 2008 draft, spent seven seasons in the NFL with San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington.

Zach Links contributed to this post.