What happens in Vegas really will stay in Vegas.
Although the NFL’s newest city somewhat surprisingly won’t receive either of the two Super Bowls that owners are expected to award this week (LVII and LVIII will go to Arizona and New Orleans, respectively), Las Vegas is expected to get one of the next Super Bowls awarded after that.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the new Raiders stadium in Las Vegas likely will be hosting Super Bowl LIX or LX (those may or may not be the right Roman numerals for numbers 59 and 60). Whenever the Super Bowl makes its way to Nevada, it’s expected to instantly become one of the cornerstones of the new Super Bowl rotation.
As the source explained it, the anticipated reaction to the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas will be something like this, “Why don’t we have it here every year?” And while that’s not practical, the Super Bowl likely will be returning to Las Vegas every four or five years.
One problem with Las Vegas arises from its overall popularity for hosting big events. More advance notice will be required to secure the city’s convention center and hotels for use by the NFL. But with Super Bowls currently committed nearly six years out, that isn’t expected to be a problem.
The problem will be finishing out the rotation, with Vegas and Los Angeles as the anchor tenants at the Mall of America’s Real Pastime. Beyond that, it gets a little more cloudy.
Miami also is expected to be in the new rotation. Arizona and New Orleans are expected to be vying for the fourth spot, with New Orleans getting the edge if/when stadium renovations are finalized. The four prongs of the rotation will then be supplemented by the periodic wild card, with cities like Atlanta and Dallas ending up being the fifth destination every half decade or so. Likewise, non-rotation cities with new stadiums could end up in the mix.
The absence of a formal bidding process will make it much easier for the league to engineer a preferred rotation of the game, as long as the cities in the rotation accept the invitation to host it. And surely they will, because if/when a city otherwise in the rotation declines, the opportunity to do it again may not return any time soon.
For Vegas and L.A., the opportunities will be consistent.