Despite rampant initial rumors that the Raiders would not only move their home to Nevada but their training camp as well, Mark Davis never committed to that. He has always maintained that he was keeping his options open and wasn’t exactly eager to abandon the team’s camp set up in Napa.
This year, the team’s first in Las Vegas, the plan was to still hold camp in Napa, and potentially in future, though Davis and the Raiders hadn’t committed to that.
The COVID-19 pandemic killed the team’s plans this season, along with every other team in the league that had their camps in remote locations. This year’s camp will be held at the team’s new headquarters in Henderson Nevada. But Davis made it clear, this setup is a one-off and the team will be back in Napa for training camp next year. And if he has his way, they will stay there indefinitely.
“I would like to continue to do it there,” Davis told the Athletic this week. “It is one of the most beautiful places in the world and gives us ties back to our Northern California roots. Southern California is another possibility, but I just think there is nothing better than Napa.”
The setup in Napa is about as perfect as there is. Not only is it the perfect climate and landscape of Napa, but the team has an entire wing of the Napa Valley Marriott to themselves, including banquet rooms, and their fields –which they share with Redwood Middle School next door — literally steps outside the backdoor of the hotel.
Davis also recognizes the value in the olive branch to the Bay Area keeping training camp in Napa would be. For those fans who stick with the team, but are unable to make the trip to Vegas as often as they did Oakland, to have their beloved team in their backyard again if even for a few weeks out of the year, it goes a long way.
Davis has also said in the past that should the Raiders leave Napa, several other teams would pounce on it. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — who currently holds training camp in Southern California — chief among them. The Cowboys already hold training camp where the Raiders’ held their camp during their Los Angeles days. I’ve been there and it’s easy to see why he may want to trade up.
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