The Oakland Raiders’ long anticipated relocation from Northern California will likely have to wait another year.
According to Phil Matier of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Raiders are closing in on a deal to play at the Oakland Coliseum for the 2019 season with an option for the 2020 campaign.
“Under the proposed deal, the Raiders would pay $7.5 million this year with the rent rising to $10.5 million if the team stays on through 2020,” the report read. “The option for an extra year is insurance in case, for some reason, the team’s new $1.8 billion in Las Vegas isn’t ready.”
It’s highly unlikely that the Raiders’ Las Vegas stadium won’t be ready for the 2020 season. But this gives owner Mark Davis and Co. another option should hiccups arise on the building of the unnamed stadium.
In no way was this a foregone conclusion. The city of Oakland sued the Raiders over their relocation to Vegas just recently. At that point, reports surfaced that there was no way the Raiders would return to Oakland next season.
Once other options in the region dwindled, the Raiders were forced to either remain in Oakland or move to a temporary city over the short term. Remaining in Oakland seemed to make the most sense.
An announcement is expected later this week or early next week.