The Oakland Raiders don’t currently have a home for next season, but may end up playing across the Bay at AT&T Park, according to a report by Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports.
Following last week’s lawsuit by the city of Oakland accusing the Raiders and the NFL of an illegal move to Las Vegas, the team is no longer certain to play their games at the Oakland Coliseum next year, especially considering their lease with the stadium authority runs out at the conclusion of the 2018 season. The Raiders’ new home in Vegas won’t be completed until 2020, leaving where the team plays next season up in the air.
Though the Raiders could still work out a deal with the Coliseum for a new one-year lease, it’s very possible they will end up playing elsewhere in the Bay area, in Southern California, or even out of state. According to LaCanfora, one of the potential venues is the San Francisco Giants’ current home, which has never before hosted an NFL game.
“There are some NFL execs who believe the easiest solution, ultimately, would involve the Raiders sharing Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers for a season. AT&T Park, where the San Francisco Giants play, is another potential option, sources said. The NFL is not pleased by any means with the current state of affairs with the Raiders, and will be under pressure to get this sorted out as quickly as possible. Sources said Raiders officials were stunned that Oakland actually went ahead with the lawsuit, which now has them scrambling to procure a temporary home for 2019 as quickly as possible.”
AT&T Park isn’t a stranger to hosting football games. The venue hosted Cal for their entire home schedule in 2011 while renovations to Memorial Stadium were taking place, and the team also hosted both the XFL’s San Francisco Demons (2001) and UFL’s California Redwoods (2009). AT&T also hosted a college bowl game from 2002 to 2013.
Though it may not be at AT&T, the NFL would reportedly prefer the Raiders stay in the Bay Area next season, as opposed to other proposed options like San Diego and Reno.
While the #Raiders don't have a home for 2019, they would like to stay in Oakland. But if the lawsuit makes that impossible, expect San Diego and Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium to become clubhouse leaders but don't discount an early move to Las Vegas or even…Reno. Yes, Reno.
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) December 11, 2018
