In news that will certainly make the city of Birmingham a bit disappointed, it appears the Oakland Raiders are on track to play one more season at the Oakland Coliseum.
As we detailed recently, Oakland’s realistic options for a host venue in 2019 are pretty slim. And now, it appears that going back to the Coliseum might be their best option — and it’s one that’s currently being discussed.
“I will confirm that we, late last week, started sitting down and talking with the Raiders about the potential of a 2019 season deal,” Scott McKibben, executive director of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “In my view, the discussions have been meaningful and productive.”
Previously, the Raiders had an agreement to lease the Oakland Coliseum for the 2019 season at a price of $7.5 million. However, when the city of Oakland filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL and Raiders, the team chose not to accept the extension.
But now here they are once more in need of a home. Raiders fans gave their team an emotional farewell after the final game in 2017, but it appears they’re going to be in store for one more round of home games in Oakland.
If that doesn’t work out, there’s always Tucson and Birmingham.