Oakland Raiders: Mark Davis Wants Las Vegas, NFL’s Roger Goodell Wants Bay

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he’s going to do everything in his power to help the Oakland Raiders stay despite owner Mark Davis plotting relocation to Las Vegas.

Goodell said the league would love the Raiders to stay in Oakland after the NFL owners’ meetings on Wednesday, according to CBS Sports.

“We still don’t have that solution,” Goodell said in Houston via CBS Sports. “Our staff is working with the mayor and officials in the Oakland area to see if there are alternatives out there, but we don’t have one yet.”

The NFL Commissioner added that the league remains open to any potential solutions that make sense for the Raiders in Oakland.

Goodell said the NFL is engaging the City of Oakland to support their efforts for a long-term stadium situation, per CBS Sports. He also said they understand Davis’ frustration about the lack of progress for a long-term stadium option in the East Bay. However, the league wants to be engaged to find a solution with officials in Oakland, according to Goodell.

Goodell’s comments came after Davis informed fellow owners that he plans to file papers to move his team to Las Vegas, according to ESPN. He told owners that he is 100 percent committed to Las Vegas, per an ESPN source that was at the meeting.

Davis was also asked questions about the Raiders’ potential move to Las Vegas after the meetings. Davis said Oakland was in the driver’s seat for his franchise, but they did not come up with anything, via ESPN.

Still, the team would not move to Vegas until 2020 at the earliest. The Raiders would play at least one preseason game in Vegas during the 2017 and 2018 season, according to multiple sources.

This news comes after the state of Nevada approved $750 in public funding for a $1.9 billion stadium this week. Construction can not begin until the city knows if an NFL team will actually play there, according to CBS Sports.

For now, the Raiders would stay in Oakland until their lease ends in 2018. Currently, they have a one-year lease with two 1-year options to stay in the Coliseum. Davis added that it would be best for players and families to know where they are going to be.

Either way, Davis said his team did not scorch any earth in their current market.

Davis said, “I do,” when asked if Oakland fans would support the Raiders after a Vegas move is approved.

“…I know there are some that are hurt right now and that are angry, but there’s a lot of them that know we’ve tried everything we could to get something done there.” Davis said via CBS Sports.

Nonetheless, Davis would also need support from the other NFL Owners to make the Las Vegas move happen.

According to ESPN, Davis can formally request for relocation the league meetings in January. At that point, he would need 24 of 32 votes to become the Las Vegas Raiders.

Some wariness for the Vegas move remains among other owners included in that vote.

“I think in general we don’t like to leave big markets for small markets,” a high-ranking official with one NFL team said before Wednesday’s meeting via the Chicago Tribune.

The same source said most owners would prefer the Raiders stay in Oakland.

Another one of those opposing votes could come from Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II who said via the SportsBusiness Journal that Oakland would not have to enter a bidding war for the team, per Pro Football Talk.

This is good news for the Bay Area, as Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said she will not enter a bidding war with Nevada using public funds. She said she believes they can offer a serious plan that is fair to the Raiders, the NFL, and the Oakland taxpayers, per USA Today.

Earlier this week, the Raiders owner also said that he wants to bring a Super Bowl Championship to the Bay Area, per ESPN.

Clearly, the NFL Owners, Mark Davis and Roger Goodell, have a lot to talk about as the Raiders continue planning to leave Oakland for Las Vegas.

[Featured Image by Eric Christian Smith/AP Images]