Last year, the Rams decided to move to Los Angeles, and they moved right away. This week, the Chargers decided to move to Los Angeles, and they moved right away.
With the Raiders deciding to move to Las Vegas, they most likely won’t be moving right away.
A lease signed in 2016 gave the Raiders a one-year commitment to the Coliseum, with a pair of one-year options held by the team. Which means that the Raiders already have arrangements to play in Oakland in 2017 and 2018.
Things could get interesting in 2019, given that their new stadium in Las Vegas possibly won’t be ready that soon. Absent suitable alternative accommodations in Las Vegas, the Raiders would either have to stay in Oakland for a third lame-duck year or find a one-year Band-Aid.
The next question becomes whether and to what extent Oakland will support the Raiders, with the knowledge that the Raiders (if approved by 24 total owners -- and possibly if not) will leaving for Las Vegas. The notion that the team’s fan base stretches over a broad region could mean that people will show up in large numbers wherever they play. Regardless, it will be a new dynamic for an NFL team to make clear its intention to leave a city and yet still stay there for multiple years.