It seems like every offseason discussions arise of the Raiders playing games in some alternate location. And just when it looked like they were full speed ahead to opening the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this year, the coronavirus pandemic hit and is forcing everyone to consider contingency plans again.
It’s been three years since the then Oakland Raiders announced they would be moving to Las Vegas and yet, in an unprecedented move, they were able to play three seasons in the city they were going to be leaving.
These years weren’t smooth sailing for the franchise. Near the end of last season, the City of Oakland filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Raiders organization and the NFL. In response, Mark Davis explored other sites for the 2019 season, but ultimately realized playing the season in Oakland was the only real option.
Oakland Coliseum is no longer an option now after the Raiders declined their lease for the 2020 season.
Allegiant stadium has been on schedule to open in late July, but there have now been two confirmed cases of coronavirus among the construction crew for the stadium. The second case resulted in the area where the worker had been to be temporarily closed off while work continued elsewhere on the site.
There have also been a couple of confirmed cases at the SoFi stadium site in Los Angeles which will house the Rams and Chargers and that site is also on a tight schedule.
Governors for California and Nevada have thus far allowed construction to continue while shutting down all other non-essential businesses and work. But as with everything in the wake of this crisis, things can change from day to day. An outbreak of any kind on either site would certainly change things.
Team officials are being forced to consider the possibility that the current schedule could experience delays. Delays it cannot afford if they hope to open on time. The Rams and Chargers have their respective temporary homes at LA Memorial Coliseum and Dignity Health Sports Park they could go back to this season should it come to that. The Raiders would have to make other plans.
According to a report in Forbes, the Raiders are considering UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium as a backup plan. Other potential sites include the Alamo Dome in San Antonio which has been an oft mentioned potential alternative site in previous years. It was the stadium where the New Orleans Saints played three games there in 2015 while the Super Dome was being repaired following Hurricane Katrina.
As it happens, the coronavirus fallout could render discussion of playing football in any location, let alone an alternative one, moot. At this point, a lot is still unknown about the status of the 2020 season. There is still the possibility the season could be delayed.
All NFL clubs are currently staying away from their facilities, the draft festivities in Vegas were canceled with the draft now being held virtually, and all offseason activities are canceled until further notice. With still three months before training camps are to start, there is still some time before the NFL has to make a decision on the status of the season.
There is no offseason for the stadium construction. If they shut down, if even for a short period of time, they won’t open in time for the season and the Raiders have to be prepared for that possibility.
[vertical-gallery id=64674]
[lawrence-newsletter]