After the Rams won the Los Angeles relocation derby, earning the right to be the first NFL team to make the move to the City of Angels thanks to owner Stan Kroenke's deep pockets and heady politicking, it seemed the Oakland Raiders were all but stuck at the Coliseum. Raiders owner Mark Davis has left no question that his intent is to see the Raiders playing in front of their raucous, zealous fans in an updated stadium -whether that be in Oakland or elsewhere.
But when the Rams became the NFL owners' chosen team and the San Diego Chargers were announced as having the first crack at being team No. 2, it seemed the Raiders' hopes for relocation were dead.
Except they aren't. And now, Davis, determined to get the stadium upgrade he has for so long desired, continues to take steps toward moving his franchise to none other than Las Vegas.
Most important though - the league, so long uninterested in giving in to Davis' talk of L.A. or San Antonio, seems to be warming to the idea.
The Rams are in Los Angeles, for better or worse. The Chargers chose not to make the leap to L.A. right away, deciding instead to focus their efforts on taking one last crack at a stadium deal with San Diego.
And the Raiders will again play an NFL season on a one-year lease at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum.
Davis, it seems, has had enough.
He will visit with the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee (SNTIC) Thursday as they meet to discuss a new 65,000-seat stadium on the Las Vegas strip. If financing for the project, which will clock in around $1.3 billion, is approved, Davis is expected to confirm his commitment to pursuing relocation there.
Again, the most important aspect here isn't Davis' commitment to relocation - that's been obvious for some time - it's the NFL's sudden willingness to play ball with him.
The Raiders were actually approved for relocation to L.A. should the Chargers turn down the opportunity, but the Rams, who prefer to be alone in L.A., the Chargers, who'd like to keep their options open, and the Cowboys and Texans, who would both like to keep the Raiders out of San Antonio, would all probably align with Davis on a move to Vegas. And even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken in open, if still uncertain, terms of the possible Raider jump.
The SNTIC meeting will go a long way toward determining the viability of a Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, but it sure seems the possibility has, at the very least, increased in likelihood.
