SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chargers agreed Monday to extend a trigger period that allows the team to seek a new deal with the city or have the way cleared for an exit.

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Dec. 1 marked the beginning of the two-month period during which the Chargers can exercise their rights under a 1995 contract with the city to renegotiate or seek to move to another town.

Mark Fabiani, special counsel to the Chargers, said the team completed calculations related to the trigger clause, which is based on NFL salary restrictions.

"There is no doubt that the team significantly exceeds the threshold allowing us to exercise the trigger," Fabiani said.

But the team would be willing to move the 60-day trigger period -- to begin March 1 -- "because we want to remain in San Diego," Fabiani said.

The extension should give the task force Mayor Dick Murphy convened to deal with Chargers issues time to complete its work, Fabiani said.

Murphy said he would put the trigger extension proposal on the City Council agenda in January.

"I believe this is a positive action by the Chargers," Murphy said. "I support extending the trigger deadline so the Citizens' Task Force on Chargers Issues has time to finish its job. I believe the city should support it, as well."

The task force is charged with determining if there is a feasible way -- fiscally responsible and publicly acceptable -- to keep the team in San Diego. The Chargers want a new stadium.

Murphy and two council members suggested earlier this month that the trigger period be pushed back.

At that time, the Chargers rejected the idea, saying the city needed to consider the Chargers' offer to eliminate the trigger and ticket guarantee in exchange for the team being let out of its contract early.

The contract negotiation proposal was shot down last week when a 5-4 majority of the City Council voted not to negotiate with the team.

The team's lease, which runs through 2020, includes a controversial ticket guarantee that requires the city to guarantee ticket sales of 60,000 seats at each home game.

The Chargers have 60 days to notify the city if the team believes it has met the trigger threshold for this season, although that is the deadline for which an extension is being explored.

Official notice that the trigger has been met would start a 90-day negotiation period with the city, followed by a 180-day period when the Chargers could seek a deal in another town.

San Diego would have 90 days to match any offer presented to the team.