Cole’s Latest: Bolts, Von, Supplemental Draft

The California State Supreme Court’s decision last week to review a lower court’s ruling that stated merely a simple majority was necessary to approve a downtown San Diego stadium measure rather than the traditional two-thirds majority dealt a blow to the Chargers‘ aspirations in their city. Enough so that the franchise is once again considering Los Angeles, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report notes (video link).

With the team not expecting a two-thirds majority to approve public funds to be put toward a new Chargers downtown stadium, they are reconsidering the league’s Los Angeles offer. But they’re not immediately keen on sharing a stadium with the Rams in Inglewood. Rather, the Chargers are revisiting the City of Industry site — a 600-acre locale eventually discarded in favor of the Inglewood and Carson projects during the three-pronged Los Angeles pursuit — due to its Eastern Los Angeles County location (22 miles from downtown L.A.) being viewed within the organization as a better way to attract fans from Orange County and the Inland Empire region of L.A., Cole reports.

The Chargers do not believe their downtown San Diego stadium measure can pass at a 66.6% requirement and do not want to continue playing at the Mission Valley site that’s been their home since initially moving from Los Angeles in 1961. They reached a deal in principle to join the Rams in Inglewood but used that as leverage against San Diego earlier this year. Those prospects are fleeting right now, however, bringing the dormant Chargers-to-L.A. talk back to the forefront.

Here’s more from Cole, beginning with the latest coming out of Denver.

• The Broncos could soon present Von Miller with a new offer, Cole hears (video link), after they reached out to him last week. But if that offer does not contain $60MM in guaranteed money, Miller will reportedly not sign. Denver has until July 15 to reach a deal with Miller and hopes to avoid the prospect of the All-Pro linebacker sitting out the season. Although such a prospect seems extreme considering how much Miller would stand to lose by doing so, Cole notes that is still his position if the sides cannot agree on terms.
• NFL GMs who spoke to Cole (video link) expect Purdue defensive tackle Ra’Zahn Howard to be selected in the supplemental draft, which is set for July 14. However, two GMs who discussed these prospects with Cole do not anticipate any of the other five players whose names are in the supplemental pool to be taken. Howard, though, is expected to be chosen between the fifth and seventh round, with the drafting team forfeiting that pick in the 2017 draft by doing so.