‘We’re happy to help Raiders,’ 49ers say
San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York wants to make something clear about the future of the Oakland Raiders.
“We’re happy to help and support them in whatever they decide going forward,” York told USA TODAY Sports on Monday.
That could mean sharing a home with them at Levi’s Stadium. Or not. The Niners’ home field in Santa Clara, Calif., is about 30 miles south of Oakland and was built on the condition that it could be a permanent home for two NFL teams, not just the 49ers. But Raiders owner Mark Davis has rejected the idea and instead has flirted with possible relocation destinations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Antonio.
York deflected when asked how easy it would be for the 49ers to accommodate their Bay Area neighbors at Levi’s Stadium if the Raiders chose to engage.
“That’s not a question for me,” York said days before Super Bowl 50, which will take place Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. “That’s a question for the Raiders. We’ve obviously done our piece with Levi’s Stadium, and it’s public information of what has been involved with that stadium. So it’s really not up to us at this point. It’s really up to the Raiders.”
Davis didn’t respond to a request for an interview from USA TODAY Sports, which published a report this week on the issues involving a possible second team at Levi’s Stadium. The report detailed how the 49ers could benefit from sharing the stadium, including sharing costs such as $25 million in annual rent.
Asked if it would be in the 49ers’ interest to share the stadium, York again deflected.
“It’s really not up to me,” he said. “Like I said, we’re happy to help the Raiders in whatever they decide to do, and I know Mark has been hard at work trying to get the Raiders a new stadium in Oakland and looking at other opportunities.”
Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014 and cost about $1.2 billion. It is owned by the Santa Clara Stadium Authority, which is governed by members of Santa Clara’s city council. The city would benefit from the addition of a second team because the number of NFL games would double from 10 to 20, including preseason, bringing in more ancillary tax revenue.
According to the 49ers’ contract with the stadium authority, a second team would be a subtenant of the Niners. That’s a label Davis wouldn’t want, but it’s just a label. His team could get a favorable deal, possibly far better than what he’s getting now with yearly leases at Oakland’s antiquated O.Co Coliseum, which opened in 1966. The Raiders’ efforts at getting a new stadium in Oakland haven’t made progress.
Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews said Levi’s Stadium was capable of welcoming a second home team right away.
“It makes all sorts of sense for your head and your wallet to come into a stadium that’s brandnew, the most technologically advanced stadium,” Matthews said of Levi’s Stadium. “But for your heart, you might want to have your own stadium.”