Oakland

Could San Diego Emerge as a New Home for Raiders?

Loss of financing for stadium in Las Vegas could prompt Mark Davis to reconsider staying in Oakland, or perhaps moving south to Chargers' abandoned city

This week, the Raiders’ proposed move to Las Vegas hit a potential wall when the investment firm of Goldman Sachs withdrew its support for a planned stadium there.

That followed the news that billionaire Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas also had pulled out.

Elliot Almond of the Bay Area News Group reported Tuesday that the Raiders would not comment on the news at this point.

“It’s unclear how the latest developments will determine what Raiders owner Mark Davis decides to do next,” wrote Almond.

Certainly, the news is encouraging for fans hoping their beloved team stays in the East Bay. Former 49ers and Raiders standout Ronnie Lott is leading an investment group trying to keep the Raiders in Oakland, and Lott released a statement Tuesday saying, “If the Raiders want to stay in Oakland, we are more than ready to be a partner in making that happen.”

However, another player emerged Tuesday as a possible host city for the Raiders: San Diego.

San Diego recently lost its Chargers to Los Angeles, and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote Tuesday night that the city appears interested in welcoming the Raiders.

“Mayor Kevin Faulconer spoke with an NFL official to let the league know the city is eager to engage when appropriate,” wrote Acee. “Multiple scources said another person representing the city exchanged calls with a Raiders official.”

Acee noted chances appear slim that the Raiders will suddenly shift focus to San Diego as a destination, but the city wants to pursue the possibility.

Plus, there are questions of where the Raiders would play in San Diego. The Chargers moved because they couldn’t get the city and voters to approve their vision of an expensive downtown stadium to replace Qualcomm Stadium. The city believed Chargers owner Dean Spanos was too demanding.

Wrote Rob Goldberg of Bleacher Report, of the possible option of San Diego as a landing spot for Davis’ team: “The biggest question is whether Davis will be more reasonable when it comes to negotiating for public financing than Alex and Dean Spanos of the Chargers were.”

The Raiders-Chargers rivalry is a long, often-heated one, dating back to the birth of the American Football League. But Qualcomm Stadium often hosted thousands of Raiders fans for games against Oakland. In recent years, Raiders fans at the games in San Diego were loud and visible. In fact, after a December game against the Raiders in San Diego, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said it was like “a road game” in Oakland.

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