City Of Las Vegas - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Potential Cities For Raiders

February 3rd, 2017 at 8:43pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Contrary to a report that the Raiders’ hopes of relocating to Las Vegas are “all but dead,” multiple sources have told Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News that the plan is “absolutely salvageable.” Bosnignore adds that Las Vegas-based businessman Sheldon Adelson, who on Monday backed out of putting $650MM toward a new stadium for the Raiders, will attend the Super Bowl in Houston on Sunday. There’s no word as to whether he’ll meet with Raiders owner Mark Davis and restart negotiations, however (Twitter link).

The loss of potential financial support from both Adelson and Goldman Sachs has led to optimism that the Raiders could end up staying in Oakland, but Davis still doesn’t seem eager to keep the franchise there. In fact, the Raiders haven’t even contacted Oakland officials since Adelson bailed, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Three sources indicated to Cole that the Vegas dream is indeed “dead,” though, which conflicts with what Bonsignore has heard. If it is off the table and the Raiders aren’t open to remaining in Oakland, Cole names San Antonio – a city with which the Raiders have had past flirtations – as a possible destination.

Having lost the Chargers to LA last month, the city of San Diego has also come up as a suitor for the Raiders. Mayor Kevin Faulconer has already contacted the league to let it know of San Diego’s interest, and Don Banks of SI.com and NFL.com reports that the Raiders could head there and play in the Chargers’ longtime home, Qualcomm Stadium.

While the Chargers were unwilling to continue in the 50-year-old facility, the notion of it undergoing a significant facelift and then housing the Raiders “will gain support in league circles,” writes Banks. Should that come to fruition, the NFL would regain the San Diego market, which it didn’t want to lose in the first place; further, the Raiders would land a stadium upgrade over the Oakland Coliseum, notes Banks, who adds that the league wouldn’t be opposed to having three Southern California-based franchises.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Raiders Move To Las Vegas “All But Dead”?

February 1st, 2017 at 1:09pm CST by Zachary Links

First casino magnate Sheldon Adelson dropped out of the Raiders’ Las Vegas stadium plan, then investment firm Goldman Sachs bailed. Now, the proposed move to Vegas is “all but dead,” Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal (on Twitter) hears.

This week’s events took both the Raiders and the NFL by surprise. Despite some public bickering, the Raiders were hoping that they could take their deal with Adelson to the finish line. But, if that failed, they were under the impression that Goldman Sachs would help finance the stadium instead and that’s what they told the league just a couple of weeks ago. Now, it seems that the two parties are a package deal. Adelson and the firm have a long business history together and it appears that they will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sands billionaire.

If the Vegas move is truly dead, this could theoretically help the team stay in Oakland. So far, owner Mark Davis hasn’t been keen on the proposal put forth by Ronnie Lott’s group, but he might not have a ton of options at this juncture. The Lott deal would call for Oakland to contribute 130 acres of land and absorb all related taxes. Meanwhile, the NFL would chip in $300MM with $300-$400MM from Lott’s Fortress Group. The Fortress Group could be looking for a piece of the team as a part of the transaction, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears there could be other ways to make it all work.

Meanwhile, in Houston on Wednesday, Goodell told reporters that the league still “hasn’t made a determination yet about Las Vegas as an NFL market.” The league, he adds, continues to review the Raiders’ application.

Latest On Raiders’ Future: Vegas, Oakland, SD

January 31st, 2017 at 5:39pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After casino magnate Sheldon Adelson scrapped his plan to commit $650MM toward a $1.9 billion stadium in Las Vegas for the Raiders on Monday, there was a report that Goldman Sachs might also bail because of its relationship with Adelson. It turns out that will be the case. The investment firm will not help the Raiders finance a stadium without the 83-year-old Adelson’s involvement, a source told Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Goldman Sachs was supposed to be the Raiders’ fallback option in the event of Adelson’s withdrawal. Not having either could be a death blow to the franchise’s hopes of relocating to Las Vegas. With neither around to aid the Raiders, staying in Oakland for the long haul could become a more realistic scenario than it was was previously.

Raiders owner Mark Davis hasn’t been amenable to the joint stadium proposal that the city of Oakland and the Ronnie Lott-fronted Fortress Group have put forth, but the deal isn’t without merit, as CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes. The city would set aside 130 acres of land for a stadium and handle all the taxes associated with it, per La Canfora, who adds that the NFL would chip in $300MM. Another $300MM to $400MM would come from Fortress (plus whatever else is necessary to complete construction) toward a stadium to replace the outdated Oakland Coliseum. Fortress would also perhaps want an ownership stake in the Raiders – something Davis is not open to giving out – but there could be other ways for him to “make them whole,” according to La Canfora.

Lott’s group issued a hopeful statement Tuesday in the wake of the Adelson news, saying (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk): “We stand ready to work with the team and NFL to keep the Raiders here at home. We have the land available at the existing Coliseum site following the actions of the City of Oakland and Alameda County last December. We have a strong financing partner in Fortress Investment Group. We have an additional $100 million due to the NFL incentive to keep the Raiders in Oakland. And of course, we have the best fans in the world right here in the heart of Raider Nation. Add to all that a diverse and fast growing community, a top 10 television market, and more Fortune 500 companies than any region in the western United States. Bottom line, if the Raiders want to stay in Oakland, we are more than ready to be a partner in making that happen.”

If Davis can’t make things work in either Vegas or Oakland, the suddenly Chargers-less city of San Diego could quickly regain entry into the league. Mayor Kevin Faulconer reached out to the NFL on Tuesday to let the league know it’s interested in the Oakland franchise, while another San Diego official at least made an attempt to contact the Raiders, but it’s unknown if the two sides spoke, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

San Diego’s plan to erect a stadium for a Major League Soccer franchise could help its cause in landing the Raiders, relays Acee, who notes that the proposal “sets aside a 16-acre parcel specifically for an NFL stadium” to replace Qualcomm Stadium. Further, Davis “loves” the city and might be more flexible in negotiations to build a facility there than Chargers owner Dean Spanos was. It’s also worth noting that the league didn’t want to lose the San Diego market, as the Chargers’ relocation left commissioner Roger Goodell “disappointed” and owners “very upset.” Those same parties haven’t been overly enthusiastic regarding the prospect of the Raiders playing in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the United States.

Goldman Sachs May Bail On Raiders

January 31st, 2017 at 4:26am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson announced he will no longer contribute $650MM to the Raiders’ proposed $1.9 billion stadium in Las Vegas. Soon after, the Raiders issued a press release declaring that Adelson’s withdrawal would not affect their proposed move. Without Sands Corp., the Raiders were banking on the financial help of Goldman Sachs to get the stadium built, but the investment banking company is now having second thoughts about its involvement, according to a source who spoke with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

Adelson “has a longstanding business relationship with Goldman Sachs,” as Shelburne notes, but it’s not immediately clear whether that is playing a role in the firm’s trepidation. Without a significant outside contribution, it’s hard to see the Raiders getting a state of the art stadium built in the desert, and that could prevent them from making their long-rumored move. It is rumored that the Raiders are eyeing a domed facility near the Las Vegas strip that would seat 65,000 fans.

This is just my speculation, but Goldman Sachs may be exercising caution with regards to lending deals in the sports world after the Fed criticized its arrangement to help facilitate the $4 billion purchase of the UFC. According to Bloomberg, sources allege the UFC’s cash flow projections were doubled in order to make the company appear more creditworthy than it truly was. Following a stern warning from Federal Reserve bank supervisors, Goldman Sachs could be feeling the heat from the increased scrutiny. With the watchful eye of regulators, the firm will only want in on the deal if it can show profitability in a reasonable timeframe. Alternatively, this could be a power play from Goldman Sachs as the Raiders run out of financing options.

Extra Points: Raiders, 49ers, Falcons, Bears

January 30th, 2017 at 9:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson decided Monday to rescind his offer to help the relocation-minded Raiders pay for a stadium in Las Vegas, but that’s not going to faze the franchise. The Raiders issued a statement in response to Adelson’s choice to withdraw support, saying: “The Raiders deeply appreciate the efforts of the Adelson family to bring the Raiders to Las Vegas. We know this project could not have advanced to this point without them. The Raiders remain steadfast in honoring Mark Davis’ commitment to Governor Sandoval and the State of Nevada to pursue relocation to Las Vegas” (via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com).

Without Adelson, who had planned to give the Raiders $650MM toward a proposed $1.9 billion facility, the team plans to invest $1.15 billion and accept operating responsibilities, Sandoval’s office told the Associated Press (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle). The Raiders could receive help from Goldman Sachs to make that happen.

Now the latest from the NFC:

Rookie general manager John Lynch declared Monday he’ll “aggressively pursue” people he has relationships with to join him in the 49ers’ front office (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). That won’t include rumored candidate and longtime NFL head coach Mike Shanahan, whom Lynch played for in Denver from 2004-07 and who’s the father of soon-to-be 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Lynch expects to listen to the elder Shanahan’s advice, but he’s not going to take an official role with the 49ers, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.
Kristin Campbell, the agent for Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, publicly pushed for a lucrative contract extension for her client Monday afternoon. Campbell has since spoken again on Freeman’s future, telling D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she and Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff “are on the same page” and will engage in extension talks during the offseason. Campbell will seek top three running back money for the 24-year-old Freeman, a back-to-back Pro Bowler. “Who was the last running back to go to back to back Pro Bowls?” Campbell said. “Adrian Peterson. Adrian is considered one of the most prolific backs of the past 10 years, wouldn’t you say?” Peterson’s current contract pays him an average of $14MM per year, which easily tops his position.
Wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson turned down a new contract to return the Bears for a second season and is mulling taking a position with a different team, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Johnson could return to New Orleans, where he coached from 2006-11, Biggs suggests. The Saints are in the market for a WRs coach, having lost John Morton to the Jets over the weekend.
The Bills will hire Phil McGeoghan to coach their receivers, relays ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). McGeoghan, who was the Dolphins’ assistant receivers coach from 2012-15, spent last season coaching East Carolina’s wideouts.
Contrary to a report from last week, the Eagles and personnel executive Rick Mueller have not yet parted ways. Mueller is working from home and will join the Eagles at next month’s scouting combine, though his contract is up in May, per Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic (Twitter link).

Raiders Lose Sheldon Adelson’s Backing

January 30th, 2017 at 7:47pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

If the Raiders are going to move to Las Vegas, they’ll have to do it without financial backing from local casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. The 83-year-old Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO announced Monday he’s not going to put $650MM toward a potential $1.9 billion Raiders stadium in Las Vegas.

“It’s clear the Raiders have decided their path for moving to Las Vegas does not include the Adelson family,” Adelson stated (via Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). “So, regrettably, we will no longer be involved in any facet of the stadium discussion.”

The final straw for Adelson came last Thursday, when the Raiders submitted a lease proposal that would see them pay $1 per year to play in the potential Vegas facility. That submission included no mention of Adelson, which he said “sent shock waves through our community.” Adelson is also “deeply disappointed for the disregard the Raiders showed our community partners, particularly UNLV, through the proposed agreement.”

Adelson’s decision to exit the Raiders’ stadium plan could be a death blow to the Mark Davis-owned franchise’s relocation hopes, according to the chairman of the Clark County (Nev.) Commission, Steve Sisolak.

“This is not a wrench in the wheel; the wheel fell off,” Sisolak told Riley Snyder of the Nevada Independent (Twitter link).

However, despite Sisolak’s pessimistic outlook, the Raiders have expressed confidence in the past about erecting the stadium without Adelson’s help. In fact, the team informed the NFL earlier this month that it would turn to Goldman Sachs for help if Adelson were to renege. Now that he has, the Raiders – who plan to combine with the league to commit $500MM to the stadium (with another $750MM coming in public money) – will have to seek the global investment company’s aid.

The league’s owners are scheduled to vote on the Raiders’ relocation plan in March. If 23 of Davis’ 31 colleagues approve, and if he finds a replacement for Adelson, the Raiders will head to Sin City in the near future.

Goodell “Disappointed” In Chargers’ Move

January 26th, 2017 at 2:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chargers’ decision to leave their longtime home, San Diego, in favor of Los Angeles has drawn the ire of the NFL’s owners, many of whom are reportedly “very upset.” Commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t thrilled, either, as he told FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd on Thursday that the league is “disappointed” in Chargers owner Dean Spanos’ choice to relocate. Goodell added that the league “did some unprecedented things to try to keep the Chargers in San Diego,” though he didn’t elaborate further (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

One option would have been for Rams owner Stan Kroenke to help pay for a stadium in San Diego, which would have enabled him to keep the Los Angeles market to himself, a league source told Florio. The Chargers still wouldn’t have gotten enough public money for a new facility to come to fruition, however, Florio notes.

On the other hand, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report disputes the idea of Kroenke’s involvement, tweeting that he never offered to help the Chargers remain in San Diego. Had he done so, Kroenke would have had to pay more for his Inglewood stadium, and he could have opened up the LA market to the Raiders – something he didn’t want to do (Twitter links).

Regardless of what went on behind the scenes, the LA situation is settled. The Raiders’ future isn’t, though the franchise did file its relocation papers last week to move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The Mark Davis-led organization remains hopeful about casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s involvement in a potential stadium, per Cole, who adds that Adelson believes contributing $650MM toward the planned $1.9 billion facility “would aid his legacy.” If Adelson doesn’t end up in the mix, Goldman Sachs would likely pick up the slack, according to Cole. However, whether it’s Adelson or Goldman Sachs helping him, Davis will need 23 of the league’s other 31 owners to sign off on his relocation plan in March. That’s “hardly a formality,” Cole relays (all Twitter links).

On the possibility of placing a team in America’s gambling capital, Goodell told Cowherd (via PFT’s Michael David Smith): “We’ve seen the changes in the culture around the country in gambling. We’re obviously very sensitive to that, but we’re also going to evaluate the Raiders case on the relocation application in what’s in the overall best interests of the league. But one thing we can’t ever do is compromise on the game. That’s one of the things we’ll do is to make sure the policies we’ve created, if we did in any way approve the Raiders, I don’t see us compromising on any of the policies.”

Raiders File Relocation Papers

January 19th, 2017 at 2:25pm CST by Ben Levine

As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported over the weekend, the Raiders have filed relocation papers to move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The Mark Davis-led Raiders will now need to receive approval from 24 NFL owners to relocate, and that vote will likely take place in March.

The city of Oakland made “no progress” in retaining the team, Rapoport noted, and few believe that their proposal for a new stadium is “credible.” The Raiders have been looking to move out of Oakland Alameda Coliseum, their home from 1966-1981 and again since 1995, but they’ll spend the next two seasons there even if the league approves their move, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com.

As the Raiders continue in Oakland for a couple more years, construction will preumsably get underway on a Las Vegas stadium sometime soon. The Raiders have a $1.9 billion proposed facility in the works, but $650MM of that is supposed to come from casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. There have been bumps in the road in negotiations between him and the Raiders, so it’s unclear whether Adelson will be part of the plan. The rest of the money will come from the the Raiders ($500MM) and a record in public money ($750MM) via hotel room tax revenue. The Raiders have also suggested a plan that would allow the team to finance a new stadium via Goldman Sachs advisors.

For what it’s worth, Rapoport noted previously that the league’s owners aren’t as opposed to the idea of the Raiders going from Oakland to Vegas as originally anticipated. The plan is “making progress and gathering momentum,” which should be good news to Davis.

The Chargers announced their move from San Diego to Los Angeles last week, which came a year after the Rams relocated from St. Louis to LA. The Raiders departing their longstanding home would further shake up the league.

Latest On Raiders’ Potential Relocation

January 13th, 2017 at 7:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

While businessman Sheldon Adelson could contribute $650MM toward a $1.9 billion domed stadium for the Raiders in Las Vegas, the franchise might not need the casino mogul’s support to relocate. The Raiders have informed the NFL that Goldman Sachs is committed to financing the stadium even without Adelson’s involvement, reports Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Adelson and the Raiders have hit snags in their negotiations, though they had made progress toward an agreement as of Jan. 4. For now, “talks are ongoing,” Adelson family spokesman Andy Abboud revealed Thursday. The Raiders, meanwhile, echoed a similar sentiment.

“Right now, negotiations are proceeding and we’ll see if we come to an agreement with the Sands [Adelson] family,” said Raiders senior vice president of stadium development and operations Tom Blanda. “I’m not really sure who else we’ll talk to.”

Cognizant that their bid to construct a Las Vegas stadium might not include help from Adelson, the Raiders told the league’s stadium and finance committees Wednesday that they’re exploring ways to proceed without him.

“The Raiders are looking at the potential of doing [it] without Mr. Adelson if it comes down to that,” said Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who’s also chairman of the league’s stadium committee.

Along with a potential Adelson investment, the Raiders and the NFL are slated to contribute a combined $500MM toward a stadium, while the state of Nevada would add a record $750MM in public money. The franchise has until Feb. 15 to file for relocation, and the league’s 32 owners would vote – likely in March – on whether to allow the Raiders to depart Oakland for Vegas. Raiders owner Mark Davis would need 23 other approval votes to make that happen. If it does, the Raiders would mimic the Chargers in finding a new home this offseason.

Latest On Chargers’, Raiders’ Relocation

January 11th, 2017 at 6:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chargers had been facing a Jan. 15 deadline to decide whether to join the Rams in Los Angeles by next season, but the NFL pushed that date back Wednesday, per the Associated Press. The Bolts now have until Jan. 17 to choose their fate, and the league is still holding out hope that they’ll remain in San Diego, a source told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. However, the league won’t prevent owner Dean Spanos from relocating the team if he’s unable to find a stadium solution in San Diego, another source informed Acee.

“No one is going to tell Dean he can’t go,” said the source. “They’re going to tell him he shouldn’t go.”

Spanos doesn’t seem eager to leave San Diego, but he also hasn’t made enough progress toward a new facility that would replace the 50-year-old Qualcomm Stadium. As of last week, the Chargers were of the belief that a $100MM to $175MM gap existed between the funds the city, county, league and team were willing to put forth and what a new stadium would actually cost. That remains the case, per Acee, who now lists the figure at exactly $175MM.

The Chargers would welcome more financial aid from the league, but its owners – especially the Rams’ Stan Kroenke – haven’t shown any urgency to make that happen, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). With that in mind, the Chargers are operating as if they’re about to relocate, Acee reports. The franchise has already drafted a press release and planned a news conference, though Acee adds that it did the same a year ago before delaying its LA decision.

The league’s stadium and finance committees met Wednesday to discuss the futures of the Chargers and Raiders, but the latter club was the primary focus.

“There was little to no discussion on the topic of the Chargers,” league executive Eric Grubman revealed.

The Raiders have until Feb. 15 to file for relocation to Las Vegas, where businessman Sheldon Adelson could contribute $650MM to a $1.9 billion stadium. The two sides continue making progress after some previous hiccups in negotiations, tweets Cole, but the Raiders aren’t going to be content to let their Vegas dreams slip away if Adelson backs out.

“The Raiders are looking at the potential of doing [it] without Mr. Adelson if it comes down to that,” said Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who’s also chairman of the league’s stadium committee.

There’s no word on exactly how the Raiders would raise $650MM in Adelson’s absence. The team is set to put forth $500MM toward the cause, while Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Legislature previously signed off on contributing a record $750MM in public funds.

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