Raiders retreat from Oracle Park

Update: The rumor mill appears to be working overtime trying to figure out where the Oakland Raiders (soon to be the Las Vegas Raiders) will play the 2019 season.

Though NBC Bay Area reported that, despite the wishes of some at San Francisco City Hall who want to block such a deal, the team might play at Oracle Park (formerly AT&T Park) for their displaced home games, no deal has since been announced.

Now the San Francisco Chronicle contends that the Raiders will simply stay put and play another year at the Oakland Coliseum, regardless of the ongoing litigation between the city of Oakland and its longtime NFL franchise

In fact, the team could possibly ink a deal to stick it out in 2020 if the still-under-construction Vegas stadium isn't finished on time.

The Raiders themselves, however, have not yet returned requests for comment and never have previously on this issue.

Have the wandering Oakland Raiders finally found a home?

On Sunday, NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathal announced via Twitter that the outgoing NFL franchise, unable to play at their incomplete home in Las Vegas and now also batted down in longtime hometown Oakland (the city is presently suing the team), will instead briefly play at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

But CBS SF reports that the San Francisco Giants scrambled from the bombshell.

While the team did not deny that they are in talks to let the Raiders convert their longtime home (formerly known as AT&T Park), it alleges that no final deal is yet in place yet.

Adding another complication, because of NFL rules, the San Francisco 49ers—who play in Santa Clara these days—would have to consent to another team playing home games in what the league still defines as 49er turf.

The newly turned over Raiders will begin playing at a new $1.9-billion Vegas stadium upon completion in 2020.

In the meantime, the team faces a stiff line of defense on both sides of the bay, with Oakland suing the team for alleged antitrust violations and San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney—whose district covers Oracle Park—attempting to deflect plans to play in San Francisco.

“We see how the Raiders treat their home cities, I don’t know why SF would want to add ourselves to that list,” Haney said in December.

The Giants have not yet returned requests for additional comment. The 2019 NFL season, the 100th for the league, kicks off September 5.

• Giants Say Nothing Confirmed [CBS SF]
• Oakland Sues Raiders [Curbed SF]
• SF Politician Tries To Block Raiders [Curbed SF]
• AT&T Park Is Now Oracle Park [Curbed SF]