The Oakland Raiders have reached an agreement to play the 2019 season, possibly the team's last in the Bay Area, at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The #Raiders and the Coliseum Authority have reached an agreement for the team to remain in Oakland for the 2019 season at least and the sides are ironing out final nuances and details of the deal, sources say. It could be wrapped up and presented to the board as early as Friday.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 25, 2019
The Raiders had hoped to play the 2019 season at Oracle Park, which is home of the San Francisco Giants. The team reportedly reached an agreement to play its seven (one in London) regular-season home games there.
The NFL would have been required to invest in security upgrades and address issues with the playing field to make Oracle Park work for professional football games.
The San Francisco 49ers would have also had to approve the move to Oracle Park since it sits within what the NFL considers their home territory. The 49ers were unlikely to give their approval because the team would have preferred the Raiders play their home games at Levi's Stadium and reap the financial benefits of seven extra regular-season games (one will be in London).
After the Raiders' final game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Christmas Eve, the team was forced to search for a temporary home as it awaits the completion of a new $1.8 billion complex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new stadium, which sits just east of the famous Las Vegas Strip and is pressed up against the I-15, is scheduled for completion in time for the 2020 season.
There have been reports that any new deal with Oakland would include an option for 2020 in case the Raiders' new stadium is not ready in time.
Both the Raiders and the UNLV Rebels football team will play at the new Las Vegas complex.
The city of Oakland filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL and the Raiders over the decision to leave the Bay Area for Las Vegas. The lawsuit alleges that when the NFL approved the Raiders relocation in March of 2017, the league and the Raiders violated antitrust laws by "boycotting Oakland as a host city." The lawsuit, however, is not asking to block the Raiders from moving.
"The Raiders' illegal move lines the pockets of NFL owners and sticks Oakland, its residents, taxpayers and dedicated fans with the bill," Oakland city attorney Barbara J. Parker said in the statement.
