City Of Oakland - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Raiders’ Future

September 15th, 2016 at 7:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

In an interview with Ray Ratto of CSNBayArea.com, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf reiterated the city is still interested in keeping the Raiders despite Las Vegas’ aggressive pursuit. The Southern Nevada Tourism and Infrastructure committee navigated a key hurdle in the process of bringing an NFL team to Vegas by approving the $750MM in public funds for a potential $1.9 billion Raiders stadium.

Schaaf told Ratto she’s not interested in winning a public-perception battle with Las Vegas, with Oakland and Vegas on the surface heading in opposite directions regarding their interest in the Raiders. She confirmed negotiations are ongoing with the Raiders’ Oakland point man Larry McNeil but declined to offer much in the way of specifics.

“As Mayor of Oakland, it’s my job to remain fully focused on what I can do to responsibly keep the team where they belong, here in Oakland,” Schaaf told Ratto. “While Nevada lawmakers consider making the largest public investment in a private stadium deal in history by approving a $750MM public subsidy for a facility in Las Vegas, I will continue to work with the NFL and the Raiders’ designee Larry McNeil to iron out a deal that works for the team, the league, the fans and the taxpayers in Oakland.”

Schaaf reiterated her stance on public funding, categorizing the appetite for using that financing method as being much lower in Oakland than it is in Las Vegas. She instead called on business leaders in the Bay Area to get involved since the public-subsidy component of this prospective new stadium offer won’t be substantial.

“There is a long and complicated history between this team and this city,” Schaaf told Ratto. “We’ve learned from the mistakes of the past and we won’t repeat them. Oakland is neither rolling over, nor giving up. Now is the time for everyone in our region to pull together to show the NFL and the Raiders that their future is in Oakland.”

For what it’s worth, Raiders veteran left tackle Donald Penn said, via NFL.com (Twitter link), Mark Davis continues to inform the team he’s “doing everything possible” to try to keep the Raiders in Oakland. This comment runs counter to Davis’ numerous assertions he will move the team to Las Vegas if Nevada green-lights the finances. The plan must now be approved by the state legislature and Nevada governor Brian Sandoval.

Just today, Davis said, via Matt Youmans of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (on Twitter), “I think everybody wins in this. We still have work to do. We’re going to make Las Vegas and Nevada proud.”

Raiders president Marc Badain also told Youmans (via Twitter) Davis wants to make the league “an offer it can’t refuse,” and categorized today as a key step toward securing such a proposal.

Schaaf told Ratto she is “constantly” working to keep the Raiders, albeit in a way that is fiscally responsible for the city. She noted the Bay Area’s wealth and the region’s location are key selling points for both the Raiders and the NFL, pointing out that those factors likely induced the league to make the Raiders third in line for Los Angeles behind the Rams and Chargers in February’s seminal decision. She also mentioned the Ronnie Lott-backed group as bringing energy to the project, even if scant details have emerged on what kind of impact that developmental venture’s had to date. Davis and Lott have engaged in discussions, however.

“Oakland has a lot to offer to this team and the NFL. The Coliseum site is the most accessible and transit-rich location for professional sports in the country, the Bay Area is a tremendous market for the league both in terms of sports and ancillary development opportunities and the regional fan base here is without comparison,” Schaaf said.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cole’s Latest: Bucs, Grimes, Dolphins, Rams

July 12th, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

This week, the wife of Buccaneers cornerback Brent Grimes made waves when she slammed the Dolphins in a controversial rant and characterized executive Mike Tannenbaum and owner Stephen Ross as “jew buddies.” Will Miko Grimes’ words affect the two-time Pro Bowler? Officially, the Bucs have no comment on the matter, but, privately, the Glazer family views her comments as anti-semitic, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder if those comments could impact the veteran’s status with the team.

Here’s more from Cole:

It’s looking “less and less likely” that Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, and Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson will get long term deals done by Friday (video link). This offseason, Johnson watched former secondary partner Janoris Jenkins land a mega-deal from the Giants in free agency, securing a $12.5MM annual salary and $28.8MM in guarantees. It doesn’t sound like Los Angeles is willing to match or exceed those numbers, so a deal is probably unlikely to be struck this week.
The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee has extended its deadline to make a recommendation on a Raiders stadium in Las Vegas for the Raiders until August (video link). Ultimately, Cole hears from sources that the Raiders plan will get the OK by the time that new deadline rolls around. After that, the final decision will be made by the governor of Nevada.

AFC West Notes: Bolts, Raiders, Broncos, Von

July 7th, 2016 at 11:45am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Even if the Chargers only need 50 percent – not 66.6 percent – of voters to approve public funding for a new stadium, they still could have a difficult time garnering enough support, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Chargers stadium advisor Fred Maas claims that San Diego residents who don’t live in a hotel “won’t pay a dime” to keep the team there, but Florio is skeptical, pointing out that money coming from a hotel tax could have other public uses instead. Further, those who vote no would be doing so because they don’t want any part of helping subsidize the NFL – a $13 billion-per-year industry – Florio adds.

Here’s more from the AFC West:

The city of Oakland is taking bids for a new stadium, reports Zennie Abraham (Twitter link via Jason Cole of Bleacher Report). The Raiders – who are angling for Las Vegas relocation – find Oakland’s action odd because the city’s taking bids without having discussed anything with the team, per Abraham.
Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning expressed optimism Wednesday about the contract standoff between the club and franchise-tagged linebacker Von Miller, telling TMZ, “I think Von will re-sign, and I do not see that being a problem at all” (link via Joe Nguyen of the Denver Post). With next Friday serving as the deadline for franchise players to sign long-term deals, time is running out on the Broncos and Miller. General manager John Elway and the reigning Super Bowl MVP restarted talks over the weekend, though, so it appears they’re moving in the right direction.
If the impasse between the Broncos and Miller continues, ESPN’s Ed Werder wonders (via Twitter) if Elway would trade the 27-year-old.
Speaking of Denver stars who lack long-term security, we found out earlier Thursday that contract negotiations between the Elway-led franchise and wideout Emmanuel Sanders are on hold.

AFC West Rumors: Miller, Chargers, Raiders

July 5th, 2016 at 11:13am CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller and the Broncos have resumed talks as the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term extensions looms in 10 days. The sides communicated during the past few days, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter) after previously breaking off talks.

Caplan wouldn’t be surprised if Miller and Broncos to continue their talks this week (Twitter link) but said during a SportsCenter appearance the gulf on guaranteed money remains, even if the parties have agreed on the length (six years) and total value ($114.5MM) of a potential deal.

The Broncos rescinded their six-year, $114.5MM offer early last month after Miller declined it due to a lack of guaranteed money at signing, a figure which sat at $39.8MM last we heard. The 27-year-old pass-rusher has threatened to hold out, refusing to play 2016 on the $14.26MM exclusive franchise tag.

Here’s the latest from the rest of the AFC West.

Loosely connected to Las Vegas in light of a California State Supreme Court decision last week weakening their downtown San Diego stadium measure’s chances of passing, the Chargers are not believed to be an option for Vegas at this time, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. The Bolts’ choices look like a murky San Diego future or sharing a stadium with the Rams in Los Angeles if those talks fall through.
The Raiders remain strongly tied to Vegas, and news on the Oakland front has been scant to this point. However, Bonsignore tweets Mark Davis has talked with a developmental group led by Ronnie Lott that’s attempting a last-ditch stadium solution in the Bay Area. The Los Angeles-based reporter, though, notes such discussions look superfluous since they don’t solve the issues the team is having with the city and county.
On the field, the Raiders look to present a more diverse pass rush than what they deployed last season. Bruce Irvin‘s signing gives Khalil Mack a complementary presence, and an NFC scouting director told TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer the best course of action for the Raiders is to move Irvin into a primary pass-rushing role at defensive end much like they did Mack in 2015. “His most productive NFL season came as a rookie, when he rushed from a three-point stance. Playing opposite Khalil Mack, he’d see a lot of one-on-one matchups he can win [if they use him as an end].” The Raiders use a hybrid 4-3/3-4 scheme, and Breer adds the suspicion is that DC Ken Norton — familiar with Irvin after serving as the Seahawks’ linebackers coach from 2010-14 — will transition the free agent acquisition to being predominantly a defensive end. Irvin registered a career-high eight sacks in 2012.
Eric Fisher viewed the Chiefs’ win against the Texans in last year’s wild card round, one that featured him win the battle against an ailing J.J. Watt, as a bit of a turning point in his career.

Latest On Raiders, Potential Las Vegas Move

May 31st, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

There are still some hurdles in the way, but things are looking good for the Raiders’ potential move to Las Vegas as far as league approval goes. To date, no NFL owners have publicly said that they’ll try and block the relocation due to gambling concerns, as Mike Florio of PFT notes. The current thinking in league circles, he adds, is that the gambling concerns won’t be generate enough “no” votes to keep the Raiders out of Vegas when all is said and done.

In the past week, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) has surveyed 23 NFL owners and come to the same conclusion. For 21 of those owners, he writes that “gambling is not a factor.” It’s also not immediately clear if the two owners with concerns about gambling are even leaning towards a no vote. Ultimately, the strength of the market will determine whether league owners sign off on Las Vegas, he adds.

It’s possible that some owners do have reservations about putting a team in Las Vegas but are keeping quiet out of a desire to put pressure on Oakland to pony up money for a new stadium. Who could those naysayers be? One source with knowledge of ownership dynamics recently speculated that Giants co-owner John Mara, Bears chairman George McCaskey, and Bengals owner Mike Brown would vote no on a Las Vegas move, due to gambling, Florio writes. Florio also threw out Steelers owner Art Rooney as someone who could oppose the move because of gambling, though that would be quite hypocritical since the Rooney family has had extensive gambling interests over the years. Again, that’s all speculative and none of those owners have publicly expressed any concerns.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Raiders’ Potential Relocation

May 28th, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mark Davis has yet to receive official pushback from fellow owners after declaring his intentions to relocate the Raiders to Las Vegas, but the item did not come up at this Tuesday’s owners’ meetings in Charlotte. Details are lacking on the Raiders’ viability in Vegas to the point that multiple owners told Ben Volin of the Boston Globe they haven’t received any “research, market studies, or plans” about how the team could succeed in Sin City.

Although this process resides in its early stages, with a stadium deal in Nevada not yet agreed upon, some owners appear to be displaying some skepticism about another Raiders move.

While a prospective $1.4 billion stadium is much more enticing for the Raiders than staying at O.co Coliseum, the Las Vegas market doesn’t interest the league nearly as much as the Bay Area does, an NFL insider told Volin. The preference within the league is for the Raiders to stay put rather than traverse a relocation path for the second straight year.

The disparate sizes of said markets drive this sentiment, with Vegas ranking as the country’s No. 42 media market and the Bay Area its sixth. Despite the 49ers already standing as the more secure Northern California franchise, the region remains favorable for the NFL when compared to the nation’s gambling capital.

In addition to the corporate wealth situated in Northern California for business-partnership purposes, Volin points out that the 49ers’ trek to Santa Clara places them further away from downtown San Francisco. The Raiders presently playing 17 miles from downtown San Francisco has a claim to the area’s appeal despite the teams technically sharing a market.

Owners have yet to study Vegas as a market, however, but also have no idea at this point if the Raiders moving there is a viable option. Despite reports that Davis is ready to “walk the walk” when it comes to moving his team to Nevada — even going as far as to say Los Angeles is no longer in the team’s plans despite its standing behind the Chargers as a candidate to join the Rams there — Volin concludes the most realistic and profitable plan remains finding a solution in Oakland, the support of influential owners Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft notwithstanding.

However, the city of Oakland and the Raiders have made next to no progress in their talks for a new stadium, which has led Davis to publicly pursue other areas. Calling the Raiders-to-Vegas talk premature, Roger Goodell did speak with Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf earlier this week in hopes of the league finding a “combined solution” to keep the team in its original location.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Raiders, Las Vegas

May 24th, 2016 at 7:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As Peter King of TheMMQB.com reported yesterday, the Raiders’ potential relocation to Las Vegas was not scheduled to be on the agenda at the owners’ meetings today. Still, it was practically inevitable that the subject would get brought up, with reporters questioning the league’s 32 owners on the viability of such a move. Let’s take a look at the latest, with reports and comments from several different sources…

While Raiders owner Mark Davis allowed that the issue of his club moving was not on the docket today, he did say that he hasn’t received any pushback as of yet. “I haven’t heard no,” said Davis, according to ESPN.com.
Appearing later on NFL Network, Davis claimed that Las Vegas would be act as a solid middle ground for all parties involved. “The Raider fan in Northern California get upset a little bit when we talk about going to Los Angeles, and the L.A. fans get a little ticked off at the fans in Northern California, so it seems like Las Vegas is a neutral site that everybody’s kind of bought into,” said Davis, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It will unite the Raider nation more than divide it.”
Davis confirmed that he is now longer attempting to move the Raiders to Los Angeles, per the ESPN report, as he told those in Las Vegas that he would not use the city as a bargaining chip in order to find a stadium elsewhere. “[Los Angeles] doesn’t have anything to do with where my train of thought is right now,” Davis said. “If Las Vegas comes through, we’re going to Las Vegas.”
Oakland isn’t completely out of the picture, according to Davis, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he spoke with Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf last night, and hopes that the two sides can reach a “combined solution,” reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Goodell, for his part, called the Raiders-to-Vegas “premature” and “pure speculation,” as Steve Reed of the Associated Press tweets.
Gambling isn’t the primary concern for owners who might be against the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, according to Cole (video link). Rather, owners have some worries about the city’s ability to finance a new stadium, per Cole.

Latest On Las Vegas, Raiders

May 12th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The interest that Raiders owner Mark Davis is showing in Las Vegas isn’t a bluff, or an attempt to play one city against another, writes Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News. According to Bonsignore, Davis is becoming increasingly convinced that “the Oakland ship has sailed,” and is pushing to make Las Vegas the Raiders’ new home.

“It’s really a tremendous opportunity,” Davis said. “A fresh start in a growing market that’s easily accessible to areas of the country that are hot-beds for Raider Nation. But not just that, we want to be a member of the community. We want to build a strong, local fan base, and we believe we’ll do just that. And when people think about Las Vegas, it won’t just be for entertainment and vacations and casinos. They’ll think about the Raiders. The Las Vegas Raiders. That’s a game-changer in so many ways.”

While Davis sounds enthusiastic about the idea of moving his franchise to Vegas, he’s not the only owner interested in the possibility. One high-ranking NFL executive tells Bonsignore that Vegas would be “a great home for the Raiders,” and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested publicly this week that he would likely be on board with the idea.

Jones didn’t specifically mention the Raiders when discussing the idea of an NFL team moving to Vegas, but as Todd Archer of ESPN.com details, the Cowboys owner indicated he would welcome the discussion, calling the city “one of the real crown jewels of communities” in America.

“As you well know, you have to have the right situation,” Jones said. “You have to have the right ownership, want to and then a lot of other considerations that have to come into play. For me, I think that certainly the fact that Las Vegas has a gambling aspect to it is far overshadowed by the entertainment value, if you will, family appeal, that you have, the convention appeal. So it does not have disfavor with me, in my opinion, relative to being an NFL city.”

Jones is just one owner out of 32, but he played an instrumental role in the Rams’ move to Los Angeles, throwing his support behind Stan Kroenke‘s project and getting other owners on board with the Rams’ relocation plan. If the Cowboys owner pushes equally hard for a Raiders move to Las Vegas, it would be a great sign for Davis’ franchise.

Still, although the Raiders look like the strongest candidate to consider a move to Las Vegas, mayor Carolyn Goodman suggested during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (SoundCloud link) that if it doesn’t work out with the Raiders, the city plans to continue to push forward with its stadium project in the hopes of attracting another NFL team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cole’s Latest: Raiders, Goff, Wentz, 49ers

April 12th, 2016 at 5:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report released a series of videos today on a handful of noteworthy NFL topics. Let’s dive right in and round up the latest from Cole….

The idea of the Raiders potentially moving to Las Vegas is gaining some momentum, a “well-placed” NFL source tells Cole (video link). According to Cole, Raiders owner Mark Davis is scheduled to speak later this month in Las Vegas about the possibility of building a stadium in the city, and Las Vegas decision-makers will have to decide whether to devote tax funds to a stadium.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News notes (via Twitter) that the Raiders‘ interest in Las Vegas – assuming the funding falls into place – “can’t be overstated,” while Cole suggests that Davis would commit to attempting to relocate the franchise to Vegas if the city is prepared to put up the necessary money.
Contrary to a previous report, quarterback prospects Jared Goff and Carson Wentz won’t be visiting the 49ers this week, according to Cole (video link). That doesn’t mean the two top QB prospects won’t eventually make the trip to Santa Clara, but the 49ers have already worked them out individually and have gotten a closer look at them. Cole also hears that GM Trent Baalke really likes Michigan State signal-caller Connor Cook.
There’s a “growing sense within the Cowboys‘ organization” that Dallas is seriously considering drafting a quarterback at No. 4, a source tells Cole (video link). Per Cole, some members of the organization prefer to target a defensive player or even a running back (Ezekiel Elliott) at that spot, but there are others who are arguing for a QB since they don’t believe the Cowboys will be drafting this high again for quite some time.

AFC Notes: Browns, Pats, Raiders, Ravens

March 22nd, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was speculation late last season that Peyton Manning would retire and take a prominent front office position, perhaps in Cleveland. Manning has since retired and the Browns’ presidency is currently vacant, but it doesn’t sound as if the 39-year-old will end up with them.

“Whatever Peyton decides to do, and I have no idea what that is, I have not literally talked to him since wishing him good luck before the Super Bowl,” owner Jimmy Haslam, a friend of Manning’s, said (link via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “Whatever organization gets him will be fortunate whether it’s a pro organization, a business, media, but I think we’ve got a great organization in place in Cleveland and we’re excited to go forward.”

Here’s more form the AFC:

Even though Patriots owner Robert Kraft has made an effort to persuade the NFL into giving back the first-round pick it took from the team as a result of the Deflategate scandal, club president Jonathan Kraft told Tom Curran of CSNNE.com that it’s a losing battle. On why the Pats haven’t sued the league in an effort to recoup the pick, Jonathan Kraft said, “It’ll take longer than the time before the draft happens and the money isn’t the issue here, the issue is getting your draft pick back and at some point you have to realize it’s not gonna happen and the best revenge will be putting the best team on the field next year and hopefully having a very successful season.”
The Raiders have made some major additions in free agency this year, but they swung and missed on landing safety Eric Weddle – who signed with the Ravens. Not surprisingly, then, head coach Jack Del Rio acknowledged Tuesday that safety is an area of concern for the club, saying, “[W]e need to acquire some people” (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle).
Safety issues aside, the Raiders’ roster looks more impressive on paper than it has in years. However, the organization’s future in Oakland remains uncertain. When asked to update the Raiders’ situation there, owner Mark Davis said, “There’s nothing … I’m still trying to get something with the stadium” (link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). Davis also spoke highly of Los Angeles and Las Vegas as potential homes for the Raiders, as Maiocco writes, but he shot down the notion of relocating the franchise to St. Louis. “The Raiders brand is a different brand, I believe,” he said. “I just don’t believe St. Louis would maximize it.”
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh suggested Tuesday that there would be competition at the left tackle spot going into next season, implying that Eugene Monroe isn’t locked in as the starter, but owner Steve Bisciotti sang a different tune. Bisciotti said “without hesitation” that the job is Monroe’s, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter).
In Ravens-related draft news, Bisciotti stated that he doesn’t expect the club to trade up from the sixth pick and into the top five, but he wouldn’t be averse to moving back (Twitter link via Zrebiec).

City Of Oakland News & Rumors