Schefter: Raiders Expected To Return To Oakland In 2016

A week removed from the Raiders’ failed Los Angeles relocation bid, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the Raiders are expected to remain in Oakland for at least one more season.

With Mark Davis essentially cornered into another one-year lease on the infield dirt, San Antonio and San Diego are expected to be Davis’ most viable options to move the Raiders. NBC Sports’ Mike Florio doesn’t expect San Antonio to gain traction, but believes San Diego could force the hand of Oakland politicians – or risk losing the Raiders if they don’t.

The prospect of a San Antonio is met with a shrug, especially since anyone who understands anything about the league realizes that the Cowboys and Texans would never stand for that. But San Diego could scare Oakland; a departure of the Chargers could make the powers-that-be in San Diego more determined than ever to build a stadium, and the possibility of luring Oakland’s arch rivals to town introduces a revenge mindset that could help sway voters, if a stadium initiative ever heads to the ballot box.

Once the Chargers join the Rams in Los Angeles, Davis can begin to facilitate a tug-of-war for the Raiders between San Diego and Oakland.

Davis’ leverage will finally be enough that he can manage a better stadium situation. The only question is… where?

twitter: @raidersbeat

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