SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s office denied a report that the city and the Raiders have spoken about the team possibly playing its 2019 home games in San Diego.
Citing a “source close to the mayor’s office,” San Diego sports talk radio station 97.3 The Fan reported that the Raiders reached out to the mayor’s office regarding home games in San Diego next season, likely at SDCCU Stadium.
Additionally, 97.3 The Fan reported the source said "that the Raiders' home game against the Chargers would be played in either Mexico City or London to avoid having the Chargers play in San Diego.”
10News contacted the mayor’s office about the report, and a spokesman said, “Our office has not been in communication with the Raiders.”
San Diego has constantly been brought up as a possible option for Raider home games, with team owner Mark Davis telling NFL Network in December that he would not rule out playing in America’s Finest City, saying “all options are open” and he was “not ruling anything out.”
For years, the Raiders have been on a year-to-year lease agreement with the owners of the Oakland Coliseum. But in mid-December, the city filed a lawsuit against the team because of its impending move to Las Vegas, forcing the Raiders to withdraw from a deal to play in Oakland in 2019.
The Raiders reportedly held talks with the San Francisco Giants about playing 2019 home games in the Giants' AT&T Park baseball stadium, but there is no word on how far the discussions progressed.
The Raiders are scheduled to officially begin play in Las Vegas in 2020.
