A proposed Oakland Raiders’ lease for the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is set for a vote on Friday, putting the team closer to a 2019 return.
After the City of Oakland filed an antitrust lawsuit against the team and the NFL in December, there was uncertainty over where the Raiders would play the 2019 season. Considerable speculation surfaced that–without a lease for the Coliseum beyond 2018–the Raiders could play their home games elsewhere next season, but it has recently appeared that the team could strike an agreement to return to the Coliseum.
The potential lease would allow the team to play 2019 home games there, with a 2020 option providing the club with a contingency in the event that construction of its new Las Vegas stadium falls behind schedule. While the proposal had hit a snag recently, it is now moving toward a Friday vote by the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority. Approval from the authority board would move the deal forward, allowing it to go before the Oakland City Council and Alameda County supervisors for final consideration. More from The Mercury News:
Commissioners of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority have scheduled a vote after several delays, according to a meeting agenda made public Tuesday. Under the deal, the Raiders would pay $7.5 million to host its 2019 home games at the Coliseum with an option to play there in 2020 if the team’s new stadium in Las Vegas isn’t ready. The lease for 2020 jumps to $10.5 million.
The team would also pay about $1.2 million in it owes from previous parking fees.
Further details are scheduled to be released Wednesday in advance of the vote. The deal has been largely in place, but sources have said the sides have been hung up on the terms of the team’s training complex and offices in Alameda.
Should this agreement move forward, the Raiders would play seven regular-season home games at the Coliseum in 2019. Another home game will take place in London.