The Oakland Raiders have extended their lease to play at the O.co Coliseum for at least one more season, but the Raiders' future in Oakland is still far from permanent, according to Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. There was optimism for a new stadium to be built after the one-year lease extension was announced on Thursday, but Davis made it known that the future of the Silver and Black in Oakland is being impeded by the Athletics and their current deal with the Coliseum.
"There's an elephant in the room, and that's the Oakland A's," Davis said, via CSN Bay Area. "They have to make a commitment to what they want to do." The Athletics signed a 10-year lease extension with the Coliseum back in 2014, and Davis believes that the deal is impeding the prospect of a new stadium at the O.co Coliseum site.
"That's the problem. They signed a 10-year lease while we were negotiating with Oakland officials, and it kind of put somebody right in the middle of things," Davis said. "There isn't much you can do. They've tied our hands behind our back. Now it's up to the A's to make a declaration of what they want to do. If they don't do that, I don't see how we can make a deal."
Davis' hope is that the Raiders and the Athletics can work together, but the Athletics are looking to play at the O.co Coliseum while they build a new park next to it, according to CSN Bay Area. The Raiders, on the other hand, want to tear down the old stadium, play in a different venue and return to a new site that features both a football stadium and a new baseball stadium.
"We like the game day experience of tailgating on the parking lot. We don't want to give that up," Davis said. "People have not listened when I've said that I don't mind building two stadiums on that site. The A's stadium would take about 12 acres, and the Raiders stadium would take 15-17 acres. That's fine with me, but I don't want to give up parking."
While Davis pointed to the Athletics on Thursday, there are still plenty of issues holding back the Raiders' prospects of a new stadium in Oakland. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff won't use tax dollars for a new stadium, and the Raiders can bring $600 million to the table, with a $200 million G4 loan from the NFL, and $100 million given to the Raiders after Davis withdrew from a Los Angeles relocation bid, according to CSN Bay Area. The new stadium could cost $1 billion, and while Raiders fans are happy to have the Silver and Black back for 2016, their long-term future in Oakland is still clearly in doubt.
