Oakland Raiders News: San Diego, San Antonio, Los Angeles In Play For Relocation?

The Oakland Raiders need a home for the 2016 NFL season, and their options include playing in the city that’s currently the home of one of their fiercest rivals. Since it appears likely that the Chargers will move to Los Angeles, the Raiders could potentially relocate to San Diego.

The St. Louis Rams have already committed to playing in Los Angeles next season, and the Chargers are expected to join them, having already applied to trademark “Los Angeles Chargers” and “LA Chargers.” That would leave San Diego, the country’s eighth-largest city, without a professional football team, and it wouldn’t be a far move for the Raiders.

"That one is going to get me a little nauseated, to be honest with you," Chargers quarterback Rivers told Mighty 1090 AM this week. "The thought of that one is a little sickening. That one is hard to stomach. It's hard enough thinking about moving. ... The thought of the Raiders being here and us not might be tougher than all the rest."

Moving to San Diego doesn’t seem to be the most likely option for the Raiders, but owner Mark Davis has admitted that anything is in play for his team. In November, the San Diego-Tribune reported Davis “made it known” that the Raiders would seriously consider going to San Diego. The team’s lease with the Oakland Coliseum concluded at the end of last season, and they rescinded their bid to move to Los Angeles when it became clear that they wouldn’t get the necessary support from NFL owners to play in L.A.

The Raiders could build a new stadium in Oakland, for which NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said the league would contribute $100 million. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Raiders are $500 million short of being able to fund a new venue.

If the Raiders do move to a new city, San Antonio is among the leading candidates to land the team. Investors are prepared to bring the team to the city, which is the nation’s seventh most populated and only has the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs when it comes to professional sports teams. However, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Houston Texans owner Bob McNair could use their power within the league to stop such a move from happening.

Los Angeles remains an option for the Raiders, but only if the Chargers decide to stay in San Diego.

The Raiders played in Oakland from 1960-1981, before moving to L.A. from 1982-1994. They’ve been back in Oakland since 1995. The Chargers actually played in Los Angeles in their first ever season in 1960, but they’ve been in San Diego since 1961.