Newark Star-Ledger

At fourth and long in Jersey talks, the Jets mull a stadium in Queens

The Jets are again seriously considering moving the team to New York, this time to a stadium in Queens, executives involved with negotiations for a new stadium in the Meadowlands said yesterday.

The Jets made their sentiments known to National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Giants chief executive John Mara yesterday at NFL headquarters on Park Avenue.

Tagliabue called the meeting to try to broker a deal between the teams for a shared stadium in the Meadowlands. However, that deal now appears unlikely, with Jets owner Woody Johnson seeking a deal with state officials in New York for a venue in Queens.

Under orders from Tagliabue not to discuss the talks, officials from both teams declined to comment on the meeting yesterday. But they said privately that the Giants and Jets remain far apart on reaching a deal on a stadium in the Meadowlands despite pledges from the Jets throughout the summer that New Jersey was their first choice if they could not move the team to a stadium in Manhattan.

Acting Gov. Richard Codey has given the Giants until Thursday to gain the Jets' approval for a stadium in the Meadowlands or to convince the team to partner with the Giants to build the shared $800 million facility.

If the Giants cannot reach a deal with the Jets, state officials have said they may terminate the April deal the Giants signed with the state to develop the new stadium in the Meadowlands. Officials from both teams said the Jets told Tagliabue they had little interest in signing any agreement before the state-imposed deadline.

The Jets favor working with the Giants to see if they can solve their stark differences over the design of a proposed stadium in the Meadowlands before they commit to a partnership with the team. The Giants want the Jets to commit to the partnership before they will discuss the design for the stadium and the surrounding development.

Jets sources said the team is willing to spend up to $1 billion for a stadium in Queens near Flushing Meadows, and the team is working with state officials to secure up to $300 million in parking and road improvements around the site.