The Oakland Raiders have been struggling to secure a new stadium in the Bay Area, and with their lease at the O.Co Coliseum running out after this season, the team is looking at all options. San Antonio continues to be mentioned as an option, leading to another meeting between team brass and city officials on Friday in California, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News.
Raiders meet with San Antonio officials on Friday
The Raiders have had a bevy of issues finding a long-term home in Oakland and are exploring all other options, including Texas.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros is the point man in talks with the Raiders, who have publicly flirted with the notion of leaving their current position to become the third NFL team in Texas. Oakland owner Mark Davis and other team officials have met previously with San Antonio officials in the city, going over a multitude of details beyond potential playing sites. After going to a University of Texas-San Antonio game at the Alamodome, Raiders officials have agreed the stadium is suitable for an NFL team.
Back in August, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce president Richard Perez put forth his thoughts on the potential of the Raiders coming to Texas.
"Mark Davis is indeed giving us a serious look, and we're going to see where this takes us," he said.
"I will tell you that I felt very, very comfortable and confident that his word was true, and he said, 'I'm not telling you that I'm coming today, but I will tell you that I'm looking, and you all are definitely someone that we're looking very closely at. But we need to explore, and that's what we're doing now.' And that was good enough for me.
"The carrot has been dangled in front of us before. We've jumped and we haven't been successful, but if you don't take a chance, you never will succeed ... I'm not too concerned about the chance it all will end in nothing, because you have to give it a shot, and I think we're prepared to do that, and we're doing that."
Should the team decide to pack up and head for San Antonio, it would receive no pushback from the San Antonio Spurs, with owner Peter Berg already stepping out of the way. Currently, the Raiders are playing in the only multi-purpose stadium in the NFL, sharing the facility with Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics.
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