The Raiders have long planned to play the 2020 season in Las Vegas. They’re building a state-of-the-art venue just off the Las Vegas Strip scheduled to open this summer, but they established a contingency plan should Allegiant Stadium encounter unexpected delays.
They added a 2020 option into their last lease with Oakland Coliseum just in case.
The Raiders had until April 1 to execute it. They didn’t need that much time.
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The team declined its 2020 option with Oakland Coliseum, a source familiar with the situation told NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday morning.
Construction at Allegiant Stadium has continued despite the Nevada’s 30-day shutdown due to the cornonavirus pandemic forcing local, state and federal governments to prohibit large gatherings and encourage social distancing.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, construction was not impacted by the shutdown of non-essential businesses.
Allegiant Stadium construction is scheduled to be complete by July 31.
NFL
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Declining the Oakland Coliseum essentially cuts long-term ties with the East Bay. The Raiders will conduct football operations at their Alameda training complex through the summer. They’re wooing free agents from that location now and will conduct the draft and the offseason program there as well. Training camp will take place in Napa, after which the Raiders will move to a new facility in Henderson, Nev. and be completely embedded in their new market.