Early reports speculated the Oakland Raiders could play in Oracle Park, but latest developments state the Silver and Black won’t play in SF in 2019.
How amazing would it be that in 2019, the Oakland Raiders would be more “San Francisco” than their Bay Area neighbor, the San Francisco 49ers? As is known, the 49ers play their home games at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. But according to early reports, it seemed the Silver and Black found a temporary 2019 home at Oracle Park, home to the MLB San Francisco Giants.
It was assumed that the Raiders played their final home game at the Coliseum back on Christmas Eve, a 27-14 win over their rival Denver Broncos. Derek Carr and Jon Gruden took a victory lap with the fans, as the Raiders are set to move to Las Vegas in 2020. As their lease at the Coliseum expired at the end of the 2018 season, the Raiders currently have no home stadium for the 2019 season.
Rumors and speculation pointed to Mark Davis and the Raiders looking at locations (literally) worldwide, from cities like San Diego to those overseas such as London. With the team set on moving to Las Vegas and the City of Oakland filing a lawsuit against the organization, Davis seemed set on finding a venue anywhere but Oakland to host the Raiders.
Early reports indicated that a future home could be Oracle Park in San Francisco, but more details started to unveil that a deal was far from done. Over the past few days, the potential of playing at Oracle Park was met with backlash from notable individuals, including SF Mayor London Breed. Breed told KTVU-TV, “As far as I’m concerned, the Oakland Raiders should play in Oakland.”
Ultimately, in order for the Raiders to play at Oracle Park in 2019, the San Francisco 49ers would need to waive their territorial rights. Late Monday night, Ian Rapaport of NFL Network provided an update:
Update on the #Raiders stadium situation: #49ers are still not expected to waive their territorial rights for San Francisco, sources say. With the SF Mayor going public against the Raiders playing at Oracle Park, SF is off the table. It’s Oakland or Levi’s Stadium for the Raiders
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 6, 2019
With the Mayor going public with her disapproval and the 49ers choosing to withhold waiving their territorial rights, it seems that Oracle Park is not an option. Since the Raiders will still practice in Alameda next season, the only realistic option is for them to play in the Bay Area one last time before heading off to Vegas. That leaves the Coliseum and Levi’s Stadium as the only two viable options.
After a whirlwind 2018 season, the best route for the Raiders to take is perhaps the most obvious one. Play one last season at the Coliseum, at whatever price the city commands, and ultimately give the fans and more importantly, the town, the proper send-off it deserves. It’s February, and it’s ridiculous that the Silver and Black do not have a home for next season. Do the right thing, and give the Coliseum one last season.