Oakland Raiders Could End Discussions With City in 30 Days

December 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders fans hold “Stay in Oakland” signs during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Things are not looking good for the City of Oakland when it comes to keeping the Oakland Raiders in the East Bay as the emergence of Los Angeles suburb Carson as a future home for the franchise has given owner Mark Davis considerable leverage. According to reports that leverage, mixed with frustration with the City of Oakland, has Davis giving city officials an ultimatum when it comes to finding a way to keep the team in the city.

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SF Gate reporters came out on Sunday afternoon with the development that Raiders officials have a 30 day window in their mind when it comes to discussions between the two parties if something positive is going to be reached to keep the team in Oakland.

That window comes after years worth of talk and negotiations between Oakland officials along with the Raiders, as the Davis family have been trying to make it work in regards to a Coliseum upgrade for some time. On the other hand the City of Oakland do not want to put the burden of a new venue on the taxpayers, something that has made for a tricky situation for both parties who are nearing the point of no return with Carson in the mix.

From SF Gate:

"“If we don’t have significant progress within the next 30 days, I’d say one party or the other will call an end to it.” That’s how one source close to the Raiders stadium negotiations in Oakland characterizes the on-again, off-again talks.The threat of the Raiders pulling up stakes and jointly building a stadium with the San Diego Chargers in the Los Angeles area has done little to ease officials’ concerns about the use of public money for a new Raiders home in Oakland.Mayor Libby Schaaf has said she would be willing to use public money to help pay for “infrastructure” on and around a stadium site. That sounds negligible, but it might not be: Some officials say it could total $240 million to $300 million."

Now that Davis and the Raiders have announced that Carson is their Plan B in terms of relocation should they fail to strike a deal with the City of Oakland, this recent report adds to the feeling that there is a very real possibility that both sides are going to move on. Taxpayer money to finance a stadium to keep the Raiders in Oakland is something that just isn’t going to happen, making Davis look for privately funded projects that are readily available in Los Angeles.

There is a small hope that something can progress during a one month window, but with a one year lease at the Coliseum it is understandable that the Raiders are eventually going to make their longterm decision after extending their stay at a stadium that has long needed upgrading. That isn’t fair to the fans of Oakland, but negotiations between Davis and city officials can only go on for so long before both parties come to terms that a deal to keep the beloved team might just be impossible.

Should the 30 days pass with no progress, and San Diego continue to have their own set of problems, expect more momentum to come out of the Carson project that appears to be a likely scenario for both California franchises. It is a sad reality for two cities who have embraced their NFL teams for decades, but with long problems in finding the funds to get much needed stadium upgrades, it appears the final hour is nearing after years of discussion from all parties on the matter.

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