The Oakland Raiders are one of few teams in the National Football League that faced both on the field and off the field dilemmas going into the offseason. Besides the impending free agent class, potentially including Derek Carr and Khalil Mack, the Raiders brass had deal with location decisions regarding Las Vegas and Oakland.
When owner Mark Davis took the first initial steps in the process by filing for relocation, he sent a message to the city of Oakland about his intentions. Although the city of Oakland was left in the dark, it didn’t spell the end for the city.
Davis and his first deal ended up imploding, as casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and Goldman Sachs promptly backed out of the proposal. From that point on, Davis was left in a free-fall, attempting to find another set of investors who would consider helping facilitate the move.
After a dry spell with little movement on the matter, it seems Davis has received what he was looking for from Bank of America, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
The #Raiders have told the @nfl they secured financing from Bank of America for their Las Vegas stadium, as @DailyNewsVinny said. Major news
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2017
Raiders President Marc Badain stated the financial issue would not be a problem in the grand scheme of things and that it was more so about the time it will take to find the right match.
It should be noted that just because they have the entire financial matter covered doesn’t necessarily translate to a 100 percent relocation. The 32 owners will have a meeting in March, with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, where Davis will need 3/4 of the owners to back up his notion.
Oakland also was able to get across to the NFL, with a proposal of their own. Backed by former Raider Ronnie Lott and the Fortress Investment Group. Their proposal would enforce a new Oakland stadium, a last-ditch effort for the city and the fans.
