Robert Kraft’s support of Las Vegas continues the momentum pushing the Oakland Raiders towards potential relocation.
When it first became known that Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis was interested in a potential move to Las Vegas, critics pointed towards the belief that the NFL’s owners would never vote to attach their league to the infamous home of gambling and excess. A narrative that is slowly fading as more and more owners are publicly claiming that they would be willing to support a Davis move to Las Vegas.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft added himself to the list of owners who are behind Davis if he decides he needs to move the team. Telling USA Today that he feels that a Vegas move could be good for the NFL and that he wants to support Davis if he can’t get something done in Oakland to keep the Raiders in their current home.
“I think it would be good for the NFL,” Kraft said. “I know Mark Davis has tried so hard in Oakland. If they won’t do it … I want to support him.”
Kraft also claimed that the notion of Las Vegas as a non-starter for certain NFL owners is a changing stance due to the changing of the world. The Pats owner claiming that in a different world with the development of technology that Vegas isn’t the only city with risks. Another narrative shattering comment from an owner of one of the NFL’s most powerful teams.
“I came into the league in ’94,” Kraft said to USA Today. “Back then, any exploration of that market was dismissed out of hand. I’m looking where we are today and thinking of the last 10 to 15 years, and the emergence of new media, with Google and Facebook and the like. We’re just living in a different world, technology wise. The risks in Vegas are no longer exclusive to Vegas.”
With Jerry Jones publicly supporting Las Vegas as a potential NFL city, Kraft joining the mix is another big chip at the bargaining table for Davis in his quest for a new stadium. The feeling that Davis has exhausted options in Oakland and needs support to secure a stadium appears to exist which is a sign that Vegas is a definite option for the Raiders. We will see the reaction amongst Oakland politicians to the growing Vegas momentum, but for now all signs are pointing towards Nevada for the Silver and Black.