Is Sunday’s Home Game The Second-to-Last For The Oakland Raiders?
With all of the excitement surrounding the Oakland Raiders resurgence in 2015, as well as their promise for 2016, many critics and fans have forgotten what is going on behind the scenes with the franchise and it’s ownership. Owner Mark Davis has made it no secret that he is not happy playing in The O.co Coliseum, and his desire to leave the bay area for a new stadium has not changed.
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While the Raiders have been giving their followers hope for the future in terms of their on the field potential and performance, the question about what field the silver and black will call home after this season is, at best, very murky.
Per Matthew Artz of the Contra Costa times, with the city of Oakland throwing out stadium financing ideas that keep getting shot down by Raider management and the NFL, it appears that Oakland is running out of ideas and time to keep the Raiders in town. Whether Davis and the Raiders are still interested in what Oakland has to offer, they have clearly moved in the direction of trying to leave.
A partnership with their rivals down south in the form of the San Diego Chargers for joint stadium in Carson, along with Disney’s CEO Bob Iger, has drawn excitement and skepticism alike for many reasons. Least of which is the ridiculous thought that these long time bitter division enemies could possibly share a home.
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But the question remains: With the Raiders lease about to expire at The O.co Coliseum, is Sunday’s match-up against Green Bay the second-to-final act in a show that has had quite a run in Oakland?
For that to be the case, a lot would have to happen in the off-season. NFL owners would have to approve the Chargers/Raiders joint plan to move and build a new stadium by a 2/3 vote. Many analysts in pro football think that’s a big stretch, and even if that happens, where do the Raiders play in 2016? A new stadium won’t be ready to play in for at least a season or two most likely.
If somehow the Raiders and Davis are able to pull out all the stops and get a deal done with San Diego, it would be the sad end of a nostalgic era. The Raiders have seen their fair share of good and bad moments in Oakland, and after all the bad football fans in Oakland have had to watch since 2003, it would be unfair for them to miss out on cheering on a team at home in 2016 that seems to be on the rise.
That is a reality that appears in play depending on how the NFL owner’s meeting in January goes, and how fast the Raiders want to get out-of-town. It’s obvious that if the Raiders get the necessary votes to move, they won’t want to stay in Oakland for a lame duck 2016 season in front of angry fans, assuming anyone would even show up to watch.
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Raiders fans everywhere are likely hoping for the best Xmas present possible: a last-minute deal to keep the team, and it’s history, in Oakland.