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In the latest sign that Raiders owner Mark Davis is not bluffing about leaving Oakland, the franchise officially filed paperwork on Thursday to relocate to Las Vegas, Clark County Commission chair Steve Sisolak announced on Twitter.
With the paperwork filed, Davis will now need the support of 23 other NFL owners to back his relocation bid. Owners are next slated to meet in March, when the Vegas vote will likely happen. And while no vote is a sure thing until all the ballots are counted, Davis does have the crucial endorsement of Jerry Jones - the most powerful owner in the league.
The NFL released the following statement on the news:
As Albert Breer of the MMQB noted, even if owners do approve the move to Las Vegas (and it seems likely), Davis has said that he won't move his franchise until the stadium is finished. That isn't expected to happen until 2020, and in the meantime the Raiders will continue to play in the Bay Area.
Assuming the Raiders do move, they will become the third NFL franchise in the past year to relocate.
Our statement re Raiders. pic.twitter.com/Ru4BNulNUK
- Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) January 19, 2017One other thing -- Davis has said the team would stay in Oakland during stadium construction. Vegas venue likely wouldn't be ready til 2020.
- Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 19, 2017