Oakland Raiders News: Where Will The Team Play In 2019?

After a long and much-publicized wait, it appears the Oakland Raiders know where they will play their final season in the Bay Area before moving to Las Vegas in 2020. The Raiders reportedly are close to an agreement with the Coliseum Authority with an announcement potentially coming as early as Wednesday.

"We're optimistic that sometime very soon, we'll be able to bring this to a conclusion," Oakland Coliseum executive director Scott McKibben told the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. McKibben has called the talks "constructive."

The Raiders and the Coliseum Authority had been working for several weeks on a possible $7.5 million lease for 2019. A new agreement could include a team option for 2020 if the $1.8 billion, 65,000-seat Las Vegas stadium is not completed in time.

A vote could happen Friday, while approval is needed from the Oakland City Council and Alameda County.

The Raiders have made the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum their home from 1966 to 1981. After 13 seasons in Los Angeles, the Raiders moved back to the stadium, which has been their home since 1995.

The possible deal comes after the City of Oakland in December filed a federal antitrust and breach of contract lawsuit against the Raiders' move to Las Vegas.

There had been discussions that the Raiders could play in Oracle Park, the home of the baseball's San Francisco Giants, or Levi's Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers. Raiders owner Mark Davis had been adamant about not playing in the 49ers' stadium, located in nearby Santa Clara.

"As far as I'm concerned, the Oakland Raiders should play in Oakland," San Francisco Mayor London Breed told KTVU, a Fox affiliate in the Bay Area.