The Oakland Raiders have had one foot out of the door of Oakland for years. But Saturday morning the team confirmed it will file relocation papers to move the franchise to Las Vegas.
The news is expected to be officially unveiled by Raiders soon and was first reported by NFL Media's Ian Rapoport Saturday morning at 3 a.m. PT.
Ian Rapoport ✔ @RapSheet
Sources: #Raiders WILL file relocation papers to move from Oakland to Las Vegas. Pending a vote of the owners, the @NFL enters a new world.
<time class="dt-updated" datetime="2017-01-14T10:59:00+0000" pubdate="" title="Time posted: 14 Jan 2017, 10:59:00 (UTC)">5:59 AM - 14 Jan 2017</time>
The move will be the third in the franchise's history, and first out of the state of California.
The team re-branding itself by way of a new name and logo - is still within the realm of possibility as well.
Raiders owner Mark Davis made it painfully obvious over the last year how unhappy he was with Oakland. Now, Davis will act on his feelings by relocating the Silver and Black to Las Vegas.
It wasn't until the 2016 season that Davis essentially refused to negotiate with those in charge of getting the Raiders a new stadium in the Bay Area.
Despite their efforts, a source close to Rapoport said that Oakland had made zero headway in putting together a viable plan.
The meeting left NFL vice president Eric Grubman reportedly "impressed," and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney Jr. stating Davis would make an announcement soon.
While the team has yet to make said official announcement, Rapoport's report all but seals the deal on the move Raiders move to Sin City.
The last hurdle to clear for the Raiders is a vote by all of the NFL owners, which is something else expected to fall in their favor.
Overall, the Raiders will need 24 of 32 votes from league owners at a spring vote in order to have their relocation plan approved.
Raiders Wire will continue to monitor and update the situation.
The news is expected to be officially unveiled by Raiders soon and was first reported by NFL Media's Ian Rapoport Saturday morning at 3 a.m. PT.
Ian Rapoport ✔ @RapSheet
Sources: #Raiders WILL file relocation papers to move from Oakland to Las Vegas. Pending a vote of the owners, the @NFL enters a new world.
<time class="dt-updated" datetime="2017-01-14T10:59:00+0000" pubdate="" title="Time posted: 14 Jan 2017, 10:59:00 (UTC)">5:59 AM - 14 Jan 2017</time>
The move will be the third in the franchise's history, and first out of the state of California.
The team re-branding itself by way of a new name and logo - is still within the realm of possibility as well.
Raiders owner Mark Davis made it painfully obvious over the last year how unhappy he was with Oakland. Now, Davis will act on his feelings by relocating the Silver and Black to Las Vegas.
It wasn't until the 2016 season that Davis essentially refused to negotiate with those in charge of getting the Raiders a new stadium in the Bay Area.
Despite their efforts, a source close to Rapoport said that Oakland had made zero headway in putting together a viable plan.
"The city of Oakland has made no progress to keep the team, sources say. It has not come up with a stadium proposal that league or independent sources believe is credible. At this point, it is only a matter of time before they officially leave."
Davis met with the NFL on Tuesday to discuss relocation plans with the league.
The meeting left NFL vice president Eric Grubman reportedly "impressed," and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney Jr. stating Davis would make an announcement soon.
While the team has yet to make said official announcement, Rapoport's report all but seals the deal on the move Raiders move to Sin City.
The last hurdle to clear for the Raiders is a vote by all of the NFL owners, which is something else expected to fall in their favor.
Overall, the Raiders will need 24 of 32 votes from league owners at a spring vote in order to have their relocation plan approved.
Raiders Wire will continue to monitor and update the situation.
