OAKLAND (KRON) — The offseason is underway for the Oakland Raiders.
And one topic that’s sure to catch a lot of attention in the next few months is how much longer will the team stay in Oakland?
Now that the season is over, franchise owner Mark Davis can officially file for relocation to Las Vegas.
And this week, he’ll be discussing the Sin City plan with some of his fellow owners.
On Wednesday morning, Davis will be meeting with the NFL’s Stadium/Finance committees, which is made up of about half of the league’s owners.
And he plans to bolster his case as to why Vegas is the best option for the Silver and Black.
Earlier Tuesday, KRON4 spoke with Bleacher Report NFL insider Jason Cole.
Cole says this is another key development on a matter that could be settled in a couple months.
Davis is all-in on the Las Vegas plan and not leaving the table that has $750 dollars of public money right in front of him.
Cole calls Wednesday’s meeting another way to convince the NFL to buy in.
“This is not only building momentum for Las Vegas, but also trying to see, will something happen in Oakland?” Cole said. “Will somebody in Oakland blink and see if they can get any kind of better deal in Oakland in the meantime to try and keep the Raiders there because the league would still like to do that, but it’s having a really hard time putting up that fight given what Oakland is doing right now and given what Las Vegas has on the table.”
Last month, Ronnie Lott’s investment group received full backing from the City of Oakland to negotiate a deal to keep the Raiders from leaving.
But Cole says early talks between the two sides haven’t gained much traction.
“There’s probably been a little bit of talking, but nothing that really moves the needle,” Cole said. “This is classic negotiating where you play one side off the other. You are using Las Vegas to try and get something done with Oakland. You are using Oakland to try and get a better deal in Las Vegas. Typical negotiating posturing by any NFL team. Is it actually doing anything at the moment? Not in Oakland. Not really. Not enough at least.”
While the Oakland front appears quiet, the Las Vegas plan continues to pick up momentum.
Davis and casino king Sheldon Adelson are reportedly close to sealing a deal that would contribute at least $600 million of private money toward a stadium.
The league may question on how involved it wants to get with a gambling executive, but so far, Vegas is the only place that has Davis’ attention.
“I think lots of NFL owners have looked at the Oakland, not the Oakland, but the Raiders to Las Vegas deal and said, ‘Maybe the Raiders are giving away too much,’ but at this point in time, giving away too much might be better than getting nothing in Oakland.”
Cole says he expects a significant decision on relocation to come down at the owner’s meetings in March.
They could either choose to approve a move or put this discussion on hold.
In the meantime, some big news regarding the Radiers football operations, as the team has shaken up its coaching staff.