A 31-1 vote on Monday from the NFL owners regarding the Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas signaled the San Francisco 49ers are set to become the Bay Area’s only NFL franchise.
While they await for their luxurious stadium to be built, the Raiders will have to hold off on their to move to Nevada until either 2019 or 2020. Owner Mark Davis has an existing a one-year lease at the Oakland Coliseum for 2017 with a team option for 2018, but it’s very realistic the Raiders could leave the awkwardness of Oakland end up playing at Levi’s Stadium in 2018 or 2019.
GM John Lynch accompanied CEO Jed York to the owners meetings this week in Phoenix and sat down with the NFL Network to discuss the huge news regarding the Raiders. In the beginning part of the interview, Lynch expressed empathy for the situation. A San Diego native, he understands a community hurting from losing an NFL team. The Chargers announced their relocation to Los Angeles on Jan. 12.
“It’s fresh and there’s a lot of emotion that goes into this,” Lynch said. “People…become a fabric of who they are as a family. I grew up a Charger fan. I used to go. We were season ticket holders. So it hurt me before I was doing this and still now, I’m a Charger fan. And so that hurts.
“I empathize with the people of Oakland because I know what you’re going through and it’s not easy. I’m sure there’s a lot of anger and all that. I think the owners did what they felt was best for the league.”
But Lynch did his best to give a brief sales to pitch to those in the East Bay without an NFL team. And should the Raiders begin playing at Levi’s Stadium, maybe the conversion of some fans won’t be as difficult as originally thought.
“Part of me says I think it’s good for us,” Lynch said. “Raider fans, we’re open for business. Come and jump on our train. But the Raiders are a great brand and I think it kind of transcends the location. I’m sure a lot of those people will go down to Vegas and have a good time supporting them in the future.”
The Raiders and 49ers fan bases have shared bad blood, in fact so bad, their annual preseason game is no longer on the docket.
But Lynch has a point: There will be fans who are so hurt by the move — that still love the NFL so much — they might not have a choice but to start rooting for Kyle Shanahan’s squad, especially if success comes down the pike.
Then again, Derek Carr is already pleasing with Raiders fans Oakland to make the jump to Las Vegas. This is going to be a messy situation for the next few years, and it sounds like the 49ers and Raiders could become more intertwined.