The drawn out saga surrounding the Oakland Raiders’ home city next season is now coming to a conclusion.
Following a tense legal battle between the Raiders and the Coliseum Authority, the two sides have agreed on a deal that will enable the Raiders to play in Oakland for one more season.
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
It was recently a foregone conclusion that the Raiders would be playing their 2019 home games at a temporary location after the city of Oakland filed a lawsuit against owner Mark Davis and Co.
But when other possibilities fizzled out, the Raiders were pretty much forced to go back to the drawing board.
We have no idea how this whole thing is going to play out. It could get real ugly in Oakland as the Raiders prepare for permanent relocation to Las Vegas for the 2020 season.
At the very least, this fledgling organization has a place to call home for the 2019 campaign. That had not been the case for the past several months.
The deal is said to include an option for the 2020 NFL season. But with the Vegas venue on schedule, we’re going to be privy to the Raiders final year in Oakland this coming fall.