Mark Davis and the Oakland Raiders have filed Las Vegas relocation papers, asking the NFL for permission to move to a new Sin City stadium for the 2020 season.
The filing was confirmed by the NFL:
“Today, the Oakland Raiders submitted an application to relocate their franchise to Las Vegas, as is provided for under the NFL Policy and Procedures for Proposed Franchise Relocations. The application will be reviewed in the coming weeks by league staff and the Stadium and Finance Committees.
“The relocation of a franchise requires the affirmative vote of three-quarters of the NFL clubs (24 of 32).”
Traditionally, the league discourages teams to stay out of the spotlight in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, but this timing gets things rolling on the process, which will include league review of the Raiders books and the proposed stadium. If the process plays out well, owners could vote on a move at the league meetings scheduled for the end of March.
As noted, the Raiders wouldn’t leave Oakland until the 2020 at the earliest (assuming the stadium is done by then), though Davis has said there would be preseason matches at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Nevada Legislature has already approved a new 65,000-seat, $1.9-billion stadium, though a final site hasn’t been determined.
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