You could have seen the plan of Saints owner Tom Benson coming a mile away last week, when he cut off negotiations with state officials over his stadium lease until after the 2005 season. Many in the NFL expected that to ramp up the "Saints to Los Angeles" talk, and only a few days later, Benson's attorney said franchise relocation is something he would be interested in.

Benson has a clause in his Superdome lease that would allow him to bolt after the 2005 season, and it seems like a realistic option with the NFL attempting to get a franchise into Los Angeles by the end of the decade. Even now, relocation seems almost certain in the L.A. scenario, since the league isn't likely to upset its current divisional balance of 32 teams by adding another franchise.

Still, the Saints haven't applied for relocation, and it would be hard to imagine NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue supporting the move. As a city, New Orleans remains one of the most attractive locations for a franchise, even with the Superdome in its current dilapidated state. It's highly unlikely Benson would get the 24 votes required from the 32 NFL owners to approve relocation.