Not surprising....looks to me at worse they are going to use San Diego as leverage for now on:


Sending the Raiders to play in the city their division rivals occupied for 55 years might sound crazy, but it actually makes a lot of sense.

For one, jilted fans in San Diego would probably jump on the chance to support the Raiders, who would theoretically host the L.A. Chargers at least once per season, as long as both teams remain in the AFC West.

Another plus for the Raiders is that they already have a large Southern California fan base because they spent 13 seasons in L.A. (1982-94) before moving back to Oakland in 1995.

Also, it's believed the NFL wants to remain in San Diego, which is why the league has offered to throw in an extra $100 million on a stadium if the Chargers decide to stay. If the Chargers turn that money down, the Raiders would likely also be allowed to use it in San Diego.

The biggest plus for the Raiders though is that it might not cost very much to move. According to the Daily News, the NFL would consider waiving the Raiders' relocation fee because they'd be handing the league a lucrative open market in Oakland.

NFL teams could then use Oakland the same way that L.A. was used over the past 20 years: as leverage in any stadium deal.

As for San Diego, the city currently has a $1.1 billion stadium plan that would require $121 million in contributions from both county and city taxpayers for a total of $242 million.

The city would also chip in another $225 million by selling land around Qualcomm Stadium. The rest of the money would come from the team that plays there and the NFL, with the league now promising a total of $300 million.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-foot...ave-for-la

Also the Raiders are apparently working on a lease with Oakland for the 2016 Season:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...-for-2016/

Why would they go to San Diego? At least go somewhere new where the fans have no emotional ties to a team that will be nearby.

(01-23-2016 08:56 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  Why would they go to San Diego? At least go somewhere new where the fans have no emotional ties to a team that will be nearby.

If they leave Oakland and can't get into Los Angeles a couple of reasons...and if the Chargers leave for Los Angeles a hated rivalry get hotter:

1. Larger market
2. No opposition in the league to move into San Diego
3. Current strong Fanbase in Southern California
4. And most important...NO RELOCATION Fees...

If everything worked out this way, with the Chargers moving to LA and Raiders to San Diego, then the 2 owners should consider some kind of franchise swap or team name swap. Davis ends up with a franchise called the Chargers in San Diego and Spanos gets the Raiders name in LA. Whether or not they actually swap the Charger and Raiders players, coaches, and personel, it probably makes more sense to fans if they stay with the franchise name they signed up for, but either way it's complicated.

Still, this all feels like another bluff by Davis and the Raiders. They want to stay in the Bay area and they will use San Diego as leverage just as the have been using LA and San Antonio as leverage.

If the Raiders moved to San Diego, they'd be trying to reestablish themselves and compete with the Chargers, who wouldn't die out in San Diego from the diehards. That's why they should suck it up and shack up at Santa Clara or move somewhere new like San Antonio.

They should do a franchise swap if the raiders really moved to SD and the chargers moved to LA. I mean SD is clearly not a raiders type of town + its dumb for the fan bases. OF course, the owners involved aren't going to like the name changes for the franchise involved so it probably doesn't happen unless the NFL demanded it. If the raiders are OK with a SD stadium plan, than the chargers should be OK with it.

(01-24-2016 06:40 AM)goofus Wrote:  Still, this all feels like another bluff by Davis and the Raiders.

IMO the Raiders show of interest in San Diego is meant to make Spanos think about keeping the Chargers in SD so that the Raiders can take the 2nd team spot in LA.

If that doesn't work, and it won't, then it becomes a move to play SD and Oakland off of each other to get the deal that costs Davis the least amount of money.

From CBS & ESPN Adam Schefter this morning:


With the Rams and Chargers winning the Los Angeles NFL sweepstakes the Raiders are left to fend for themselves in the wilderness of the NFL wild. A new home in San Diego could emerge if the Chargers ultimately decide to move to Los Angeles.

The soon-to-be homeless Raiders would reportedly "pounce" on an opening in San Diego. And according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, such a move is "very viable" beginning as early as 2017.

The Rams will begin play in Los Angeles in 2016, with all the t's crossed and the i's dotted when it comes to the Los Angeles move. (All that remains is the pesky multi-billion dollar stadium to be built.)

The Chargers are deciding on their future, with a one-year option on moving to Los Angeles and joining the Rams that expires on January 15, 2017. The Chargers and Rams are expected to spend the coming weeks negotiating a solution to potentially get the Bolts to L.A.

Meanwhile the Raiders are stuck playing a larger, slower game of musical chairs after losing the last round. It's believed 2016 will be spent playing in Oakland with not enough time between now and the season to make any substantial moves.

After that is anyone's guess.

The Raiders reportedly secured land in San Antonio, but the idea of Jerry Jones and Bob McNair letting another NFL franchise join the Cowboys and Texans in Texas is laughable.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-foot...ery-viable

(01-24-2016 10:53 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(01-24-2016 06:40 AM)goofus Wrote:  Still, this all feels like another bluff by Davis and the Raiders.

IMO the Raiders show of interest in San Diego is meant to make Spanos think about keeping the Chargers in SD so that the Raiders can take the 2nd team spot in LA.

If that doesn't work, and it won't, then it becomes a move to play SD and Oakland off of each other to get the deal that costs Davis the least amount of money.

You pretty nailed IMO what this is all about...leverage against Oakland/Bay Area and San Diego.

Just move in with with York (Santa Clara) and be done with it. That's what they should have done to begin with.

I do wonder how much it would cost to convert santa clara into more neutral stadium, i.e. rip out the red chairs for maybe green. Don't the raiders have 100 million free money at the moment? I'm sure it would cost than building a new stadium if the 49ers were cool with it which they might not be.

That ship sailed. The Raiders had the chance to go in as an equal partner like the Giants and Jets or like the Rams are offering in LA and didn't. Without tons of money and a number of concessions, and I don't mean nachos or hot dogs, I'd tell the Raiders to piss off if I were the Niners and rightfully so.