Raiders reach deal to play 2019 season in San Francisco
Owner shuns Oakland, may play at Giants’ Oracle Park
The Oakland Raiders will reportedly play their final season in the same city where it all began for them – San Francisco.
In somewhat of a stunner, owner Mark Davis has reached a deal with the Giants to play the 2019 season at Oracle Park (formerly AT&T), NBC Bay Area’s Raj Matthai reported Sunday night.
Matthai indicated a formal announcement of the one-year deal is expected to be done this week. However, any deal will also need to include the approval of the 49ers, who still own territorial rights in San Francisco despite moving to Santa Clara in 2014.
Two months ago, the Raiders backed out of a tentative deal to play at the Oakland Coliseum in 2019, their last season before heading to Las Vegas in 2020. The Raiders were angered by the antitrust lawsuit the City of Oakland filed against them and the NFL for leaving Oakland.
Earlier this week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the Raiders were focused on playing in the Bay Area next season. Davis’ Bay Area options seemed to be down to either the Coliseum, Levi’s Stadium or Oracle Park.
“I stand by what I’ve said in the past,” Davis told this newspaper earlier this week in response to Goodell’s comments. “I’ve been absolutely consistent. I want to stay in the Bay Area, but we’re looking at all options. I haven’t changed my mind.”
Although Davis said he’d try to put his emotions aside, the Raiders owner has indicated he wouldn’t be much interested in paying rent to Oakland while its officials are suing him.
Davis didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Sunday night’s NBC Bay Area report.
The Coliseum Authority had said the Raiders
ATLANTA – It wasn’t a night of all-around brilliance for the New England Patriots or perfection by quarterback Tom Brady. But it was an evening of grit and resourcefulness, of the Patriots demonstrating their unmatched ability to do what it takes and to be just good enough.
That translated into yet another Lombardi Trophy, as they outlasted the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, Sunday in a far-from-elegant Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-benz Stadium.
A pro-patriots crowd watched an NFL season
The greatest quarterback in Super Bowl history had just engineered one of his patented fourth-quarter drives for the New England Patriots.
Now it was Rams quarterback Jared Goff’s turn to show he could match the ageless Tom Brady.
With seven minutes left in Super Bowl LIII, Goff moved the Rams down the field, but a that was all about offense conclude with the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history. It was a 3-3 game entering the fourth quarter, with the only scoring coming on field goals by kickers Stephen Gostkowski of the Patriots and Greg Zuerlein of the Rams.
The Patriots struck for one moment of offensive excellence, as Brady zipped a pass to pass under pressure was intercepted by Stephon Gilmore, and the Rams’ fate was all but sealed.
On a night when the Rams high-powered offense never got going, Brady led the Patriots to a 13-3 victory before 70 081 at Mercedes-benz Stadium, further etching his name into Super Bowl lore.
The Patriots’ sixth Super Bowl title under coach Bill Belichick ties tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 29-yard gain to the 2-yard line to set up a touchdown run by rookie tailback Sony Michel with seven minutes remaining.
The New England defense made certain that lead held up, as cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepted a deep pass by Rams
would give them one final chance to reach another deal before deciding which venue they’d play in next season. Judging by Sunday night’s news, that meeting obviously was fruitless. Then again, if the 49ers don’t grant approval for the Raiders’ move down the road to Oracle Park, the Raiders could find themselves back at the Coliseum for one more year.
In addition to needing the 49ers approval, the Raiders-to-san Francisco plan could still be facing a road block by San Francisco city officials. In fact, San Francisco Supervisor-elect Matt Haney, whose district includes Oracle Park, strongly opposed the Raiders moving across the Bay.
“We shouldn’t be undercutting the negotiating position of our friends across the Bay, by providing an easy out to the Raiders, who are retaliating against Oakland with this attempted move for 2019 simply because Oakland filed a lawsuit that they had every right to file,” Haney said in an Instagram post two months ago.
Longtime Raiders fans will recall that the Oakland Raiders’ first season in the American Football League in 1960 was spent playing their games at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The Raiders played the 1961 season at Candlestick Park before moving to Oakland’s Frank Youell Field (196265) and then the Coliseum in 1966.