With the Raiders stadium plans in Las Vegas showing cracks, the city of San Diego is expressing interest in the Raiders as a potential replacement for the recently departed Chargers.
According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer reached out to an NFL official to let the league know they are eager to speak when the time is appropriate. Another city representative attempted to reach out to a Raiders official as well.
The Chargers left San Diego last month after 55 seasons to move north to Los Angeles. Raiders owner Mark Davis has been pushing for a move to Las Vegas. However, that plan has hit significant roadblocks due to Sheldon Adelson pulling out of the deal. Ronnie Lott has been trying to lead an effort to get a new stadium constructed in Oakland that has not received much support from the league as of yet.
Despite San Diego’s interest in the Raiders, having three teams in Southern California within a 150-mile radius would not be an ideal situation for the NFL either. Nevertheless, the league loves pitting cities against each other for the leverage it creates in stadium negotiations. A $750 million public contribution from Nevada is still in Las Vegas’ favor and the history and current residency of the Raiders in Oakland holds weight as well. But if none of that comes to fruition, then maybe San Diego will have a long shot chance to court another NFL franchise.