Subscribe
Follow Us
The Oakland Raiders, it turns out, celebrated their final game at the East Bay's legendary Coliseum one year too early – if not more.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Raiders are on the verge of finalizing and agreement with stadium officials that will keep them in Oakland through the 2019 season, and perhaps beyond as the team waits for its new stadium in Las Vegas to be completed.
The deal, once completed, could be presented to city officials later this week.
The #Raiders and the Coliseum Authority have reached an agreement for the team to remain in Oakland for the 2019 season at least and the sides are ironing out final nuances and details of the deal, sources say. It could be wrapped up and presented to the board as early as Friday.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 25, 2019
The #Raiders agreement with the Coliseum Authority is for 2019, but it also includes a team option for 2020 if their Vegas stadium isn’t ready, sources say. The steps should be: Board meeting Friday or Tuesday. Then city council. Then final approval by the March league meetings.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 25, 2019
Reports surfaced earlier this month that the Raiders had entered into negotiations with the Coliseum Authority to play games at the team's longtime home next season. Stadium representative Scott McKibbon even told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was “cautiously optimistic a deal will get done.”
Article Continues Below
The franchise’s forthcoming move to Las Vegas, Nevada was approved by NFL owners on a 31-1 vote in March 2017. But re-location won’t come until 2020, and the Raiders’ lease at the Coliseum expired after last season, initially leaving them without a place to play home game games in 2019.
In January, it emerged that Raiders owner Mark Davis was considering a temporary move across the Bay Bridge to Oracle Park, home of the MLB's San Francisco Giants.
San Francisco mayor London Breed pushed back on that idea, alluding to existing congestion in the city’s South Beach neighborhood as one of the reasons why she believes the Raiders “should stay in Oakland.”
The Raiders beat the rival Denver Broncos 24-17 in their home finale last season, a game tens of thousands of nostalgic fans treated as their team's last in Oakland.
