Rams notify city of shift to annual lease agreement

ST. LOUIS -- The Rams took a step toward lame-duck status in St. Louis and a possible move back to the West Coast, notifying the city's Convention and Visitors Commission on Monday that they intend to shift to a year-to-year lease agreement for their use of the Edward Jones Dome.

The CVC, which operates the dome, confirmed the move Monday. The Rams referred comments to the CVC and general reaction was that it was a procedural step.

"While the lease will now run year-to-year, all other lease terms remain the same," CVC president Kitty Ratcliffe said in a statement. "We look forward to working with Rams' management in preparation for the 2015 football season in the Edward Jones Dome."

Rams billionaire owner Stan Kroenke is part of a joint venture that announced plans earlier this month for an 80,000-seat stadium in the Los Angeles suburbs. Any move would be subject to approval by the NFL and its owners. The NFL already has said no moves would be made in time for next season.

Kroenke has been unavailable for comment.

Under terms of a 30-year lease agreement reached in 1995, the Rams had the ability to convert the lease to annual terms if the dome was not deemed among the top 25 percent of NFL stadiums based on various criteria. The team had until Wednesday to tell the city of its plans.

The CVC had little chance of meeting the standards given 22 of 32 teams are playing in stadiums built after 1995.

St. Louis officials are working directly with the NFL in efforts to keep football in the nation's 20th-largest market and have proposed a new stadium just north of the dome. Kroenke has repeatedly declined comment.

Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest market, has been without a team since 1995 when the Raiders moved back to Oakland and the Rams moved from Anaheim to St. Louis.