Oakland Coliseum Executive Doesn't Recommend Raiders Play There in 2019

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority executive director Scott McKibben suggested Tuesday that the Oakland Raiders likely wouldn't be able to extend their lease to play at the Oakland Coliseum through the 2019 season."I would say to you with the highest level of confidence, my opinion and recommendation and that of my board membersI don't believe there is any appetite for a third season [in Oakland)]," McKibben told Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today.He added: "It's actually financially to our benefit if they didn't exercise the options and play here even in the two years they've got [in 2017 and 2018]."If the Raiders want to stay in Oakland through 2019, they likely would have to offer to pay more rent to make up for the losses the Oakland Coliseum takes under the current agreement.The Raiders' lease runs through the 2018 season, but with the team's new$1.9 billion Las Vegas stadium set to open in 2020, the Raiders don't have a home for 2019."We have two more years of lease options for Oakland right now," Davis said at the league's annual meeting, where the organization's move to Las Vegas was approved. "If the fans would like us to stay there, we'd love to be there for that and possibly talk to them about extending it for maybe 2019 as well, and try to bring a championship back to Oakland."UNLV spokesman Mark Wallington told Schrotenboer that the school'sSam Boyd Stadiumwhich only seats around 35,000 peoplehas been discussed as a possible one-year solution for the Raiders. If the team isn't willing to increase the amount of rent it pays in Oaklandor if fans in the city stop attending games in protest of the Raiders' relocationUNLV's stadium will be a more tenable solution than remaining in Oakland in 2019.
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