The Las Vegas Raiders are set to usher in a new era with the opening of Allegiant stadium in the 2020 NFL season.
The league was going to help the Raiders kick things off in their new home by having them host the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, it will now have to be done remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Las Vegas lost out on an opportunity to get its fans an early preview of their status as a new NFL city. Fortunately, they may be able to alleviate it in the near future.
According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, team owner Mark Davis is open to the prospect of hosting the 2022 NFL Draft:
“Absolutely,” Davis said. “At some point in time Las Vegas is going to be able to take advantage of being Las Vegas and what we have to offer here. So, we’d be beyond excited for that opportunity.”
Davis added that all the preparations had all been made for this year’s events before the festivities were essentially cancelled:
“It’s just unfortunate how everything was lined up for this to be the kickoff to the inaugural season of the Raiders in Las Vegas, and it just made so much sense and we were all so excited about it,” Davis said. “Everyone from the governor down to the city managers and everyone else. And everyone put a lot of time and effort into making it an event that would be second to none, here in Las Vegas. We were all looking forward to it, and it was just going to be so exciting.”
The timing of the outbreak has hardly been ideal for the Raiders. After all, they are already in the midst of their relocation and were hoping to make their presence felt in Sin City this offseason.
Regardless, it would make sense for the league to consider giving Las Vegas another chance due to the unforeseen circumstances that caused it to be moved this time around. Although Davis may own one of the biggest brands in the NFL, he will need all the help he can get trying to tap into the new market.
The league finds itself in uncharted waters having to continue their day-to-day operations under the new restrictions. It is safe to say that the Raiders’ biggest concern at the moment is not being able to evaluate this year’s prospects in person to better help them decide their approach to the draft.
As for the year that the draft will return to Las Vegas though, 2022 makes sense as no city has claimed it yet, while Cleveland already has 2021 and Green Bay has 2023.
