On Tuesday night, NFL owners voted 30-2 in favor of the Rams proposal to relocate the franchise, starting in 2016. The Falcons will return to Los Angeles for the first time since 1994, the Rams final season before moving to St. Louis.
"It will be great to have football back in L.A.," said Falcons president Rich McKay.
Atlanta's upcoming schedule includes three games out West, with games at Seattle, Denver and Oakland. The move of the Rams to L.A. means the Falcons will play half of their away games on the West Coast.
The process of relocating a franchise is not one of ease. On Jan. 4, the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams submitted applications to the NFL to move their franchises to Los Angeles. The plan has been in the works for years, involving several people and difficult decisions.
"This is not a process that happened in weeks, not a process that happened in months, it happened in years and it took a lot of work by all the teams in play," McKay said.
With four games on the West Coast, a significant amount of travel time will need to be accounted for. Head coach Dan Quinn will have the option to make a special schedule request to the League that will allow his team to play back-to-back games out West.
"It would make sense that might be something that we would consider. Go out there, play a game and stay out there a week and play another game," said McKay.
Until the new stadium in Inglewood is complete, the Rams will temporarily play at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
