With the Raiders ready to exit Oakland after 2018 if/when Oakland files a lawsuit against the Raiders for exiting Oakland, the Raiders need a home for 2019.
But the team’s eventual new home won’t be its short-term new home. Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas will not be the venue in which the Raiders play while waiting for their new venue to be completed.
So where will the Raiders play in 2019, if they’ll no longer be playing in Oakland? The most sensible option would be to play at Levi’s Stadium, but the stubbornness of the 49ers and Raiders may prevent that from happening. San Antonio has expressed interest in hosting the Raiders, and there’s still an NFL-caliber stadium in San Diego.
Los Angeles would be an intriguing option, but the Rams and Chargers surely wouldn’t be interested in having the Raiders infringe on their turf for a season, even if a viable location for playing the Raiders’ home games could be found in that market.
“It’s in our minds, but it’s really in the back of our minds right now,” owner Mark Davis said in late August. “We’re really concerned about 2018. Obviously, 2019 won’t be in Las Vegas, but it may have to be somewhere.”
Yes, it will indeed have to be somewhere, especially if Oakland ends up not being that somewhere a year earlier than anticipated.