Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis said Wednesday that the team has “a number of options” for where they will play home games during the 2019 NFL season, per NFL.com.
The Raiders haven’t signed a lease for 2019 and had been in talks with Oakland about a lease for next season. However, that possibility has been muddled by the city of Oakland’s filing of a federal antitrust lawsuit against the Raiders and the NFL.
When asked if playing in Oakland is still a possibility for next season, Davis said:
“As I said, emotionally, you know, I don't want to pay for my own lawsuit, but for the fans, it's something that I have to think about.”
“I've got two words for the lawsuit and I used them the other day. One is meritless and the other one the attorneys will understand is malicious. And I'll leave it at that, and I'll let the attorneys do all the rest of the speaking.”
Davis also acknowledged San Diego and Santa Clara, which is the home of the 49ers, as potential temporary solutions. He also said “options are open” regarding an early move to Las Vegas. The Raiders' new Nevada stadium is set to open in 2020.
At this point, it seems unlikely the Raiders return to Oakland given the bad blood set about by the lawsuit. They’ll likely have to make do playing at a temporary location until their new stadium in Vegas is completely ready.