The Raiders' preference is to stay in the Bay Area one more season, near their HQ in AlamedaGETTY IMAGES
The Raiders "recently were informed that a deal they walked away from in December," featuring a $7.5M rent agreement to play in Oakland next season, is "still on the table," according to a front-page piece by Michael Gehlken of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority Exec Dir Scott McKibben "issued the update" to Raiders President Marc Badain in an email exchange this week. There was "no immediate indication whether the team will exercise the option." Talks ceased two months ago between the two sides when the city "filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NFL and its 32 clubs." The Raiders since have "explored a number of stadium options outside of Oakland." It is their "preference to stay in the Bay Area, near their headquarters in Alameda, before relocating to Las Vegas" in '20. McKibben said that he believes the Coliseum and Levi's Stadium are the Raiders' "only two options for a nearby home" in '19 (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/6).
DOOR CLOSED: S.F. Mayor London Breed yesterday said the team "should play in Oakland" in '19 rather than at Oracle Park. She said there are a "number of challenges" to address in S.F., including the Warriors' move next fall to Chase Center. Breed: "We have a number of things for years that we've been working to prepare for. We don’t need another layer to add to what we already have in terms of an area that's really congested, filled with construction and will host a number of concerts and games for both basketball and baseball over the coming months." Breed noted she has conveyed her position to the Giants (KTVU-Fox, 2/5).
