Raiders Owner Mark Davis said the team is "in the process of trying to negotiate a one-year extension at the Oakland Coliseum to play the 2016 season there." Appearing on a podcast hosted by San Jose Mercury News columnist Tim Kawakami, Davis said, "We’re not looking to change anything in the agreement that we had from this last year, so it should be pretty easy.” He added, “Even if we were to have gotten the permission to move to L.A. this coming-up season, we would have still been staying in our facility up here in Oakland for at least another year." Davis said the team is "working in the Bay Area" for a new stadium, and if something cannot happen in Oakland, there "still are some other sites in the Bay Area that are doable, and we’ll be looking into those.” He noted the team would like to keep the O.co Coliseum parking lot "as is and ... keep trying to think of ways to maybe have development come in." San Diego has been mentioned as a potential landing spot for the Raiders if the Chargers cannot land a new stadium there. Davis called the city a "phenomenal place" and said it would be "great because we have a very large Hispanic market." However, he added, "Dean Spanos is a partner and I don’t want to really get involved in anything that would affect their negotiations. ... I don’t have any idea of what kind of negotiations Dean has going on there, and I’m hoping that he gets something done” ("The TK Show," MERCURYNEWS.com, 2/1). Davis said that while Oakland is his "top choice for this year, he isn’t dismissing other options until he and Coliseum officials have signed an agreement." Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf previously has "refused to loosen the city’s purse strings for a football stadium." She said she is "anxious" to resume negotiations with the Raiders (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/2).
BRIDGING THE GAP: CSNBAYAREA.com's Scott Bair cited sources as saying that a year is the "likely length" for a lease extension between the Raiders and O.co Coliseum. That provides "maximum flexibility to the team and the city of Oakland, sides that are trying to find a stadium solution that keeps the Raiders permanently in the East Bay." The Raiders’ "outward focus is a long-term plan." The short-term solution "seems to be another year in Oakland." Those talks "are on the table" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 2/1). Schaaf yesterday said that Oakland "remains the football team's best choice for one simple reason: land." She added that 100 or so acres around O.co Coliseum is "valuable" and it could "prove integral to a deal to keep the Raiders there." She said that the NFL's commitment of another $100M toward a new stadium, if the Raiders stay in Oakland "could be a 'big push' for the Raiders to stay in the East Bay." Schaaf: "I'm encouraged that the NFL put in $100 million to keep the Raiders in their home market" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/1).
VEGAS VACATION: Davis yesterday detailed his Friday trip to Las Vegas, where he met with UNLV execs about the potential of a new stadium in the city. He sat with the school's current and former president and said, "We just talked about what UNLV has been working on getting a stadium for many years -- they just purchased a site down there and going ahead to build a stadium whether there’s an NFL team or not -- and they wanted to see what our interest was." That was followed by a 45-minute meeting with developer Steve Wynn "talking about just the idea of bringing the National Football League to Las Vegas, and he’s very supportive of that." Davis had lunch with Las Vegas Sands Chair & CEO Sheldon Adelson, who he said is "very interested in supporting the university and getting a stadium built in Las Vegas." Adelson also would "very much like to have an NFL franchise, as well, come to town." Davis concluded the trip by talking to UFC co-Chair & CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, as that organization is "looking for a bigger venue for a lot of their fights." Davis: "They’d be interested in doing something as well with a stadium there” ("The TK Show," MERCURYNEWS.com, 2/1).
STILL HOPE: CBS Sports Network's Amy Trask, who formerly served as Raiders Chief Exec, said that she "still thinks Oakland has a chance" to retain the team long term. She said, "I would hope the Raiders take a moment to sit with Oakland, not across the table in a negotiating posture but side by side in a collaborative posture, and see if there’s a deal to be worked out there." She added, "It’s a sensational location, the best-served of any stadium in the NFL in terms of public transportation. And it’s on a major freeway artery, as we know. It’s a phenomenal site. I believe there is a deal to be done in Oakland if the parties collaborate" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/2).
CROSSTOWN SOLUTION? 49ers CEO Jed York said his team is "happy to help" the Raiders and "support them in whatever they decide going forward." USA TODAY's Brent Schrotenboer notes York "deflected when asked how easy it would be for the 49ers to accommodate their Bay Area neighbors at Levi’s Stadium if the Raiders chose to engage." York: "That’s not a question for me. That’s a question for the Raiders" (USA TODAY, 2/2). Davis yesterday said sharing Levi's Stadium is "just not for the Raiders” ("The TK Show," MERCURYNEWS.com, 2/1).
