The Raiders could be on track for at least two more seasons in the Coliseum. If owner Mark Davis can’t build a new stadium in Oakland and is the odd man out in Los Angeles, the Raiders’ best option could be another one-year Coliseum lease, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Waiting another year would likely remove the Chargers and Rams from the equation and allow “free agent” cities to focus their efforts on the Raiders. Of course, this scenario would probably mean Davis’ window of opportunity to move the Raiders to Los Angeles would be closed.
Throughout the process, the Raiders have lacked strong leverage – in large part because of their limited financial resources.
Would the Raiders consider a move to St. Louis? Davis shot down the idea at owners meetings, but Rapoport says don’t rule out the idea if the Raiders don’t have something in place by next year. And if Los Angeles is off the board, St. Louis and San Antonio may be the only leverage out there.
In other words, if the Chargers and Rams end up moving to Los Angeles, the Raiders’ stadium drama could just be getting started.