The Oakland Raiders are a relic of the past as the transition to Las Vegas is nearly complete with the organization recently holding a ceremony at Allegiant Stadium to announce the official name change.
Now, the Las Vegas Raiders are billed on every sports website and official NFL sites and the team has changed their name on Twitter to reflect the change as well.
Despite the embrace of their new home, fans still cannot entirely join in on the fun. No official team merchandise is available for sale just yet.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders and the NFL will start selling merchandise during the 2020 NFL Draft in Las Vegas:
Draft week. That’s the current plan. https://t.co/cq9uglk2cE
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) January 23, 2020
As usual, the NFL Draft will not take place until late April, starting on Thursday, April 23 this year. That means that it is likely fans will have to wait three months before they can get some new gear.
Although it has been noted that the team will not be changing from their signature Silver and Black colors, it will be interesting to see if there are any design changes between the new Las Vegas gear and the older Oakland gear.
The biggest change in merchandise will likely be the names on the back of the jerseys. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock shared that he thinks big name free agents will be easier to recruit now that the team is in Las Vegas, where taxes are much lower than California. It also does not hurt that the Raiders have some of the most promising young talent in the league on both sides of the ball.
Josh Jacobs and Maxx Crosby are both contenders for NFL Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, respectively. Without a doubt, they will be a focus for the Raiders moving forward. It would not be surprising if both of their new Las Vegas jerseys are among the most popular for the team in 2020.
