The future is uncertain for the Oakland Raiders with talk of the team potentially moving elsewhere circulating around the NFL. Most believe the logical choice for the Raiders is to simply move back to Los Angeles, but owner Mark Davis appears to be exploring all options including San Antonio, Texas.
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On Tuesday, Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson made his way up to Oxnard to watch the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys participate in a joint practice.
During his time in Oxnard, Magic talked about the possibility of the NFL having a team back in Los Angeles saying the following via ESPN:
“I think for the first time, I truly believe we’re going to get a team. Finally,” Johnson said. “Everybody is on board. The city is on board. The business community is on board. The NFL is on board. Finally we have momentum. In the next couple years, at least in the next 24 months, I think one team will be coming. I don’t know what team that will be, but I believe in the next two years we’ll have a team.”
Back in 1982, longtime owner Al Davis attempted to make improvements to Oakland Coliseum. Davis wanted to add luxury boxes to the Coliseum, but it never came to fruition leading to the team choosing to move to Los Angeles.
The Raiders went on to win a Super Bowl title in Los Angeles back in 1983 led by legends Howie Long and Marcus Allen. Unfortunately, despite winning a title shortly after moving to Los Angeles, the team moved back to Oakland after the 1994 NFL season.
Al’s son, Mark, is in a similar situation this time around with Oakland unable to upgrade the O.co Coliseum. Mark became the owner of the iconic NFL franchise after Al passed away in 2011. There’s been talk of the Raiders considering other locations in Bay Area, but all signs appear to be pointing to the team heading elsewhere in California or out of state.
One destination that has become a possibility is San Antonio, Texas. Rumors have circulated that Davis and company are seriously considering the move to Texas, but Magic believes Los Angeles is the only true option via ESPN:
“I would love that,” he said. “San Antonio? Come on. The Spurs?
“Mark knows there’s only one place he can go — that’s L.A. San Antonio? Come on now. Come on.”
Magic is all for the prospect of having the Raiders back in Los Angeles saying the following about potentially having the silver and black back in the City of Angels:
“It would be great to have the Raiders back in L.A., I would love for that to happen,” Johnson said. “But that’s going to be up to Mark and the Raiders and the NFL. But I would love to have the Raiders back in L.A. where they belong.
“We just want a team, we want a team in the worst way.”
At this point in time, there’s no telling where the Raiders will end up playing once the dust settles. The 2015 NFL season will be played at O.co Coliseum in Oakland with one year left on the lease, but beyond next season, it is anyone’s guess with San Antonio and Los Angeles possibly being the best options.
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