City Of Las Vegas News & Rumors

Latest On Futures Of Raiders, Chargers

December 1st, 2016 at 7:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Raiders remain on track to file for Las Vegas relocation in January, reports ESPN’s Jim Trotter. And, “barring a miracle,” the Chargers will likely declare their intention to move to Los Angeles at the same time (Twitter link). The Chargers have until Jan. 15 to decide whether to join the Rams in LA.

Both Raiders owner Mark Davis and the Chargers’ Dean Spanos will need 23 of their colleagues to OK their respective moves when they file for relocation. But Davis is in for a “battle royal,” according to Trotter, who adds that certain “old-guard owners” and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell are against the idea of putting a team in Las Vegas (Twitter links). Not only would doing so place a franchise in the gambling capital of the United States, but it would also mean trading the the Raiders’ Bay Area market for a smaller one. The Raiders currently play in the league’s sixth-biggest market, whereas Las Vegas is just the country’s 40th-largest market, as Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News wrote in October.

As for Goodell, his wariness of Las Vegas has been known for a while, with a source telling CBS’ Sports Jason La Canfora in October, “Even if this came to a vote early next year, I wouldn’t at all discount Roger’s ability to garner 9-12 votes against [a move] if he believes firmly that Oakland is in the best interest of the league.”

The main reason the Raiders are exploring relocation is because the city of Oakland hasn’t made much progress toward building a new stadium to replace the 50-year-old Coliseum. That may have changed somewhat earlier this week, though, as Mayor Libby Schaaf outlined a financing plan for a potential facility. Schaaf is hoping a combination of $600MM in private money from former Raider Ronnie Lott and the Fortress Investment Group of New York, $300MM from Davis, $200MM in public money and $200MM from the league will entice the Raiders to stay, according to Phil Matler and Andy Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to kicking in $300MM – the same amount he’d put forth for a Las Vegas stadium – Davis would likely have to take on Lott and his group as minority owners. The league’s on board with that idea, per Matler and Ross, but it’s unclear what Davis’ feelings are. At the moment, the plan is for Schaaf & Co. to submit the outline to the league’s owners to demonstrate that they’re serious about keeping the Raiders in Oakland.

The Chargers have shown a desire to stay in San Diego, but they’re “out of ideas” for securing a new stadium and will essentially need a miracle over the next month and a half to avoid relocation, per Trotter (Twitter links). The Chargers and Rams are reportedly progressing toward an LA agreement, so it seems increasingly likely that the Bolts are in their final season in San Diego. While their lease at 49-year-old Qualcomm Stadium runs through 2020, it’s possible the Chargers will break it and spend the next two years either sharing the LA Coliseum with the Rams or playing at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., until the $2.6 billion facility in Inglewood opens in 2019.

Latest On Futures Of Chargers, Raiders

November 17th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It’s conceivable that either the Chargers or Raiders could relocate to Los Angeles in the coming years, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday the “ideal” scenario is for the two teams to stay where they are (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com). Goodell was in attendance when the Rams broke ground on their $2.6 billion stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where the Chargers have the option of sharing the soon-to-be built facility with the Rams. They must decide by Jan. 15 whether to do it, and while an extension is possible, the Chargers haven’t asked for one, Goodell revealed (Twitter link via Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News).

Chargers owner Dean Spanos said last week that he’s tabling relocation thoughts until the end of the season, which wouldn’t leave him much time to negotiate a deal with the Rams’ Stan Kroenke. His organization would gladly team with Spanos’ franchise, though, with Rams chief operating officer Kevin Damoff saying, “We’d welcome [the Chargers] with open arms” (Twitter link via Gonzalez).

If the Chargers stay in San Diego – which is possible for at least 2017 – and the Raiders’ Las Vegas plans fall through, there’s “growing support” within the league for the Silver and Black to return to LA, per Bonsignore. Although an October report indicated the NFL could force Raiders owner Mark Davis out, a high-ranking league official told Bonsignore that notion is “total BS.” On the contrary, there’s “growing admiration” for the job Davis has done since taking over the Raiders after his father, Al Davis, died in 2011.

While the league would be OK with the Raiders going back to LA, where they played from 1982-94, or staying in Oakland, Bonsignore writes that Las Vegas remains the likeliest option. The Raiders aren’t interested in remaining in Oakland, relays Bonsignore, as the city hasn’t made much known progress toward a new stadium to replace the 50-year-old Coliseum. Meanwhile, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has already signed off on $750MM in public money toward a potential $1.9 billion Raiders facility.

Davis will file for relocation in January, and once that happens, he’ll need 23 approval votes from the league’s other 31 owners to make his Las Vegas dream a reality. Goodell isn’t fully on board with the Raiders going to Vegas, but Bonsignore doesn’t expect Davis to have difficulty garnering the necessary number of votes.

Chargers Likely To Play 2017 In San Diego

November 10th, 2016 at 9:03am CST by Connor J. Byrne

The plan to construct a publicly funded $1.15 billion stadium for the Chargers in downtown San Diego went up in flames on Election Day, as just 43.1 percent of voters signed off on a proposal that needed two-thirds approval to pass. Nevertheless, there’s optimism about an eventual deal, writes David Garrick of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“While there isn’t support for this particular measure, the results demonstrate that a large number of San Diegans love the Bolts and want them to stay,” said Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “We now have momentum to work together with the Chargers to develop a new solution to keep the team in San Diego.”

For his part, owner Dean Spanos revealed Wednesday that he plans to put the franchise’s future on the backburner until after the season (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).

“Over the coming weeks you may hear news about steps that we must take to preserve all of our options. But please know that I don’t intend to make any decisions until after the regular season ends and that, in the meantime, I hope to enjoy with you one great Chargers game after another,” stated Spanos.

The Chargers have until Jan. 15 to choose whether to relocate to Los Angeles and eventually share an Inglewood facility with the Rams, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that they’re likely to delay the LA decision until 2018 and put a new San Diego stadium on the ballot again next year. In another scenario, the Chargers and Raiders could agree to avoid LA relocation in 2017 and focus on San Diego and Las Vegas, respectively, as neither wants to share a stadium with the Rams, according to Rapoport (Twitter links).

The Chargers’ best hope for a long-term solution in San Diego is for the California Supreme Court to drop the need for two-thirds approval on taxpayer-funded projects to a simple majority, contends Mike Florio of PFT. Even if that happens, the Chargers might not return a stadium proposal to the ballot until 2020, per Florio, which differs from Rapoport’s 2017 suggestion. The Bolts’ lease in San Diego runs through 2020, so the team could continue playing at Qualcomm Stadium over the next few years and reassesses its options after the next presidential election.

While a move to LA in 2017 is still possible, the Chargers will only have a two-week window to execute it if Spanos actually does table his relocation thoughts until season’s end. Further, the leverage in negotiations would belong to Rams owner Stan Kroenke, notes Florio, making an agreement all the more difficult to hammer out. Should they reach a deal, the Chargers would likely head to LA immediately and split the Coliseum with the Rams over the next two years. The clubs would then move into the Inglewood stadium in time for the 2019 campaign.

Raiders’ LV Stadium Hits Potential Snag

October 27th, 2016 at 8:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have been building momentum towards a Las Vegas move, but they could be hitting a snag. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is not happy with what he perceives as changes to the stadium deal and he is threatening to walk.

“I negotiated to bring in the Oakland Raiders, an NFL football team from Oakland, because they don’t have a stadium there, that I would build a stadium and rent it out to the Oakland Raiders,” Adelson told Reuters’ Ari Rabinovitch. “They want so much. So I told my people, ‘Tell them I could live with the deal, I could live without the deal. Here’s the way it’s gonna go down. If they don’t want it, bye-bye.”

The Raiders’ Las Vegas project took a major leap forward last week when Nevada’s governor OK’d a bill that would increase hotel taxes and reroute those additional funds to the new stadium. Adelson, meanwhile, has pledged up to $650MM toward building the stadium. If Adelson were to pull out, the Raiders and the state of Nevada would have to scramble for a new billionaire partner.

Goodell May Exert Influence In Las Vegas Vote

October 23rd, 2016 at 8:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Roger Goodell still prefers the Bay Area as the Raiders’ long-term locale to Las Vegas, and the commissioner may wield enough power to swing the Raiders’ upcoming relocation vote, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports.

Ownership sources told La Canfora the commissioner’s ability to rally support behind causes he feels strongly about shouldn’t be underestimated regarding the seminal vote set likely for early 2017. A matter as significant of a team relocating from a top-five market to the No. 40 market could meet Goodell’s standard for exerting influence.

“Even if this came to a vote early next year,” one source told La Canfora, “I wouldn’t at all discount Roger’s ability to garner 9-12 votes against [a move] if he believes firmly that Oakland is in the best interest of the league.”

The Raiders need 23 additional votes to green-light their long-rumored Vegas move. This news comes after a report earlier this week appeared to see owners softening their stances on a team trying to set up shop in the nation’s gambling mecca. Although most owners’ beliefs on this would-be seminal venture aren’t yet known, Goodell feeling the need to play a key role here could be a sign support is growing.

Mark Davis is also seeking to have this vote as early as possible, but the league looks set to delay it. Davis secured the $750MM in public money quicker than owners expected, and the NFL is trying to catch up in this process. Davis still wants the Raiders to play at the Oakland Coliseum in 2017-18 before hopefully relocating to Vegas in ’19.

The owner is no longer interested in discussing a future in Oakland or Los Angeles, La Canfora writes, but Goodell maintains the league needs to look into what can be salvaged in Oakland as well as research what a Las Vegas move would entail for the league.

“I would expect the league to delay any vote for as long as possible,” one ownership source said. “Mark is adamant that they are gone, but the league isn’t in any rush to bring this to a head.”

The vote that sent the Rams to L.A. and kept the Chargers and Raiders in their longtime markets occurred in January, and Davis wants this expected vote to take place in January 2017, when he’s expected to file for relocation. But that doesn’t look to be on course right now.

Goodell and the NFL have been linked to having discussions with Oakland civic leaders, talks in which Davis is not currently participating. The league is exploring “several stadium options” in the Bay Area, per La Canfora, who continues the theme of pointing out how the NFL is more attracted to the Bay Area’s business infrastructure advantages compared to Las Vegas’.

Owners More Agreeable To Raiders Move?

October 22nd, 2016 at 9:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

As a Raiders relocation vote for a second straight year becomes closer to a reality, the stances of many owners around the game aren’t known, creating an air of mystery around this likely forthcoming decision. But some owners have voiced praise for Mark Davis‘ efforts in securing a deal with Las Vegas, potentially opening the door to a better outcome for the owner’s efforts to leave Oakland.

“I completely respect how he’s handled the process over the last year,” Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said, via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com, from the owners’ meetings in Houston. “I know he had to be incredibly disappointed in not being one of the teams selected, at least initially, to go to L.A. And I just think the way he’s handled it speaks to his maturity. I think people respect that he’s created another option for himself in Las Vegas.”

Davis’ increasing trust among his peers has led to this process moving forward instead of better-regarded owners having stonewalled the effort, Breer writes. This represents a contrast from how the son of Al Davis was viewed previously in this group. Most owners did not expect Mark Davis to be able to secure the financing when this venture began earlier this year.

Other owners with whom Breer spoke this week were open to the idea of Davis being the owner who breaks through to the Las Vegas market after there was widespread hesitation among them earlier this year regarding the Raiders owner being the one responsible for reintegrating the Los Angeles market. One of them praised Davis’ ability to be able to score the largest-ever public money contribution for an NFL stadium as evidence he could handle the move and his own market.

“He’s gained a lot of respect in the room,” an NFC team president told Breer, “Who else has come up with $750MM in public funding?”

Hunt, interestingly, was not behind a Raiders/Chargers Carson, Calif., joint move earlier this year, instead preferring only one team go to Los Angeles if a relocation was inevitable. Fellow AFC West owner Dean Spanos‘ opinion on Davis moving may be more predictable since the two nearly struck a deal to share a stadium in Carson.

“He’s earned a great deal of respect amongst the owners,” Spanos said, via Breer. “He’s a committed owner. He loves the business. He’s in this for the long haul. And I think he’s gonna be successful in Las Vegas if he gets there, which I think he will. It remains to be seen obviously, but that’s my opinion — he’ll get there.”

Breer still notes a small group of owners are with Jerry Jones and his pro-Vegas stance and a small group have voiced opposition to the Raiders moving from a well-regarded market to a questionable one. But there’s enough unknown viewpoints to could swing the final tally.

The MMQB scribe adds Oakland — which has lost Davis’ interest even as the NFL and city civic leaders remain in talks — is expected to make another push with the help of the NFL, which is still believed to prefer the Bay Area to Vegas. The league plans to conduct a market study of its own to follow up on one Davis conducted recently regarding Vegas’ viability as a long-term NFL city.

Additionally, owners see a Raiders-to-Vegas move as a way to protect the Rams’ brand in Los Angeles since the Raiders have a substantial footprint in L.A. compared to the Chargers, who remain in front of the Raiders in line to move there should their downtown San Diego stadium venture fail. The Bolts having only played in L.A. in 1960 leaves them well behind the Silver and Black in terms of prospective fan support in the city. Davis hasn’t mentioned Los Angeles as an option for the Raiders in months, having been successful in generating a route to Vegas, but that would still theoretically be an option if the Chargers balked and owners voted Davis’ latest relocation proposal down.

Raiders To File For Relocation In January

October 19th, 2016 at 5:45pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The possibility of the Raiders going from Oakland to Las Vegas in the near future continues to become more realistic. The Raiders’ Mark Davis revealed to his fellow NFL owners Wednesday that he plans to file for franchise relocation in January, reports Jim Trotter of ESPN.com.

A decision from the league on whether to approve a move would likely come in March, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. In an early, 20-team survey Cole conducted, seven are proponents of Davis’ plan, one is against it, and the other 12 are undecided (Twitter links). It’s unclear whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was among those Cole asked, but the influential 74-year-old expressed admiration for Las Vegas on Tuesday (via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).

“I think it’s a great matchup, and I’m really impressed by the leadership … and I’m impressed by the fact that financially the people that will be supporting Mark Davis’ effort to bring those Raiders there are as excited as they are about it,” Jones said. “That alone makes me want to be very active and very excited about the Raiders and the possibilities.”

Despite Cole’s pro-Las Vegas survey and Jones’ enthusiasm, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported Tuesday that wariness of the city exists within the league’s ownership ranks. Specifically, there are concerns over both trading a bigger market for a smaller one and Las Vegas’ status as America’s gambling capital.

“I think in general we don’t like to leave big markets for small markets,” a high-ranking official with one team told Maske. “That’s as big as anything. I think most people are not crazy about that.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed gambling Wednesday, saying that the league is “still very much opposed to legalized gambling on sports. We think that has an impact on the integrity of our game.”

Interestingly, the official Maske spoke with added that “most” in the league would like the Raiders to remain in Oakland. However, the individual conceded that the league might not have another choice if Las Vegas presents the best option for a new stadium. Further, Goodell admitted that “we have been working to see if there are alternatives and we don’t have one” in the Bay Area.

In a statement Wednesday (Twitter link via Pelissero), Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf declared that the city “will not enter a bidding war with Nevada using public funds.” However, along with ex-Raider Ronnie Lott’s group and Alameda County, Schaaf believes “we can offer a serious plan in the coming weeks that is fair to the Raiders, the league, the fans and the Oakland taxpayers to whom I am most responsible.”

While Oakland hasn’t made progress toward a facility that would replace the 50-year-old Coliseum, it’s full steam ahead in Nevada, where Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill Monday green-lighting $750MM in public money toward a $1.9 billion domed stadium in Las Vegas. Davis would commit another $500MM ($200MM of which would come from an NFL loan, though a collective bargaining agreement extension might be a requirement), and businessman Sheldon Adelson would contribute $650MM of his money.

After Davis’ Wednesday presentation to owners, which Goodell called “informative” and “factual,” Davis criticized Oakland and praised Las Vegas for the cities’ respective stadium efforts.

“Oakland was in the driver’s seat if they could’ve put together anything. They came up with nothing,” he told the Associated Press. “Las Vegas has already done what it is supposed to do and we have to bring it up to the National Football League and get permission to move to Las Vegas.”

In order for the Raiders to end up in Las Vegas, Davis will need 23 approval votes from the league’s other 31 owners. If that happens, the team could still play in Oakland for the next couple seasons as it awaits stadium construction in Las Vegas. A report Saturday indicated that the Raiders could use UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium as a stopgap. Davis shot down that possibility Wednesday, though, saying it’s unfit to host NFL regular-season games.

Moving to Las Vegas would also require the Raiders to pay the league a relocation fee. That figure is set at $550MM, but Cole reports that the Raiders likely wouldn’t have to pay that much (Twitter link).

Latest On Raiders, Las Vegas

October 17th, 2016 at 9:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As expected, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval signed a bill green-lighting $750MM in public money for a $1.9 billion domed stadium for the Raiders in Las Vegas, as Michelle Rindels of the Associated Press writes. The Nevada Asssembly had approved the funding the bill last week, and the Raiders have now taken a major step towards relocating to Sin City.

“Las Vegas is ready for this. Nevada is ready for this,” said Sandoval. “The best brand on the planet is coming together with one of the best brands in professional sports. It is truly one of those situations where 1+1=3.”

However, even after Nevada cleared a substantial financial hurdle, Raiders owner Mark Davis’ battle with the NFL and his fellow owners isn’t close to its conclusion. NFL ownership sources continue to maintain Davis might not have enough support to reach the 24-vote plateau required for a relocation, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported yesterday.

That vote could is likely to take place within the next six-to-nine months, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who hears that the chances of the Raiders getting the okay to move to Las Vegas are more positive (PFT pegs the odds of a “yes” at 75%). Of course, some owners could have voice concern with the potential move, especially given the prevalence of gambling activity in Las Vegas. But as Florio notes, any such questions raise could merely be a ploy to raise the Raiders’ relocation fee.

Latest On Raiders’ Vegas Venture

October 16th, 2016 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders’ complex year shows no signs of stabilizing anytime soon. Possibilities of their short- and long-term plans remain wide-ranging, with several scenarios in play.

Mark Davis is expected to be in Las Vegas on Monday as Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signs a bill green-lighting $750MM in public money for a $1.9 billion domed stadium for the Raiders in Sin City. However, Davis said he still plans to have the Raiders play at the Oakland Coliseum in 2017 and ’18.

“We want to bring a Super Bowl championship back to the Bay Area,” Davis said, via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com.

The team has one-year options at its current home stadium and, per Gutierrez, is expected to exercise them for the ensuing two seasons regardless of the NFL voting to approve a Vegas move. That arrangement would seemingly be quite awkward, should the Raiders receive Vegas approval and still play in Oakland. We heard previously the Raiders could consider UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium as a possible stopgap venue. But Davis would apparently still plan on keeping the Raiders in the Bay Area as construction of the Las Vegas stadium commences, a potentially toxic environment notwithstanding.

However, even after Nevada’s expected clearance of financial hurdles, Davis’ battle with the NFL and his fellow owners isn’t close to its conclusion. NFL ownership sources continue to maintain Davis might not have enough support to reach the 24-vote plateau required for a relocation, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports.

Noting how much the NFL played a role in the Rams being the lone team permitted to relocate to Los Angeles, sources informed La Canfora the larger Bay Area market remains the preference of many owners over Las Vegas. Additionally, La Canfora hears a belief exists among a contingent of NFL ownership the Raiders would be better off without Davis, who would be forced to mount a legal battle if he cannot generate 24 votes.

The NFL and Oakland civic leaders remain engaged in talks, and per La Canfora, Davis has shown “little to no interest” in participating. However, the discussions between the league and Oakland are ongoing without him. An ownership source also suggested to the CBS scribe the league could form a trust with Oakland as it did with Cleveland in the 1990s after the original Browns moved to Baltimore, because while Oakland’s stadium talks have produced next to nothing publicly, the league still believes it’s a superior to southern Nevada as an NFL city.

“I’m not saying something like that will come together,” an NFL source told La Canfora of an NFL-Oakland agreement. “But that’s the preference. It’s hard to ignore $750MM of public money, but they are looking long term.”

UNLV Stadium Stopgap Option For Raiders?

October 15th, 2016 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Once Gov. Brian Sandoval joins Mark Davis on Monday to sign the stadium bill on Monday, Nevada will have done its part financially to bring the Raiders to Las Vegas. The next steps could well be on the NFL and its owners as the possibility of the Raiders leaving Oakland again increases with Nevada green-lighting the $750MM in public money to be used for this project.

However, the proposed $1.9 billion domed stadium would not be ready until 2020, according to ESPN.com’s Arash Markazi (on Twitter). The Raiders, if they receive the 23 additional votes from the owners to relocate in January — assuming this process reaches this stage — would then play the next three seasons at a temporary venue.

Markasi sheds some light on where that could be by pointing out Davis’ previous intention to have his team play at the compact StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., in the short term if the Raiders moved to Los Angeles. Primarily used for L.A. Galaxy games and second-tier boxing cards, the StubHub Center seats 27,000. Davis’ L.A. stopgap stadium plan leads Markazi to believe UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium, which seats 40,000, would be an acceptable short-term site (Twitter link).

Las Vegas’ lack of history with the NFL obviously wouldn’t provide the Raiders with the same kind of glamorous backup site the Rams currently have, but Davis’ willingness to use an MLS stadium should make the Runnin’ Rebels’ home field reasonable. Sam Boyd Stadium opened in 1971.

While the Raiders and Rebels would move into the domed stadium to start the 2020s, the NFL team would have to adjust to a much warmer climate if it moved. The average Vegas high in September is 94 degrees, however, those per-month numbers drop as an NFL season schedule wanes, with October, November and December highs averaging 81, 66 and 57 degrees, respectively, according to USClimateData.com. The 102-degree average highs in August could lead the Raiders to camp elsewhere, however.

Earlier today, we heard the NFL will research Davis’ stadium proposal thoroughly and that some owners are wondering if the league will force Davis from his Raiders perch to stop this move. So, plenty of moving parts remain in what has been one of 2016’s top NFL stories.

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