Raiders To Face Bears In London; Still No Home Stadium For 2019 Season
Jan 21, 2019, 6:06 PM
Quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders huddles with teammates during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – It’s still uncertain where the Oakland Raiders will play seven of their eight regular season home games next season, but one thing is for sure: one of those games will take place in London.
The NFL announced Monday the location of its international games, placing the Raiders against the Chicago Bears sometime during the 2019 season at one of London’s renowned soccer stadiums, either Wembley Stadium or Tottenham’s new stadium, which is yet to be determined.
The other games in London include a matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, a contest between the Tampa Bay Buccanneers and the Carolina Panthers and a game between the Houston Texans and the Jacksonsville Jaguars.
The Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs will be playing in Mexico City in 2019.
See you in London, #RaiderNation. pic.twitter.com/O2vNj6Z6tm
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) January 21, 2019
The Raiders are currently constructing a new stadium in Las Vegas, which is scheduled to open in 2020. The organization announced the move in 2017, and was operating on a year-to-year lease on the stadium in Oakland.
Recently, however, the city sued the team for what Oakland officials are calling an “illegal move,” making a return highly unlikely for the 2019 season.
🚨 The 2019 NFL London Games 🚨
👉 @Panthers vs @Buccaneers
👉 @ChicagoBears vs @Raiders
👉 @Bengals vs @RamsNFL
👉 @HoustonTexans vs @JaguarsRegister your interest → https://t.co/6pgrXnWF8h
#NFLUK 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/nvhiOdFmIT— NFL UK (@NFLUK) January 21, 2019
KSL’s Unrivaled hosts Alex Kirry and Scott Mitchell said the Raiders should look at Salt Lake City as a possible location for the 2019 season.
Kirry and Mitchell made the cast that a temporary move to Salt Lake would give the Raiders a whole new fanbase for years to come and make a whole lot of money. The NFL is extremely popular in the Beehive State, and giving Utahns from Logan to St. George a team of their own – albeit temporarily – would dramatically expand the Raiders’ potential fanbase.
Rice-Eccles Stadium is getting a big league audition this winter and spring when the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football begin their inaugural season. The stadium’s capacity of 45,807 is 20,000 seats larger than the StubHub Center in Los Angeles, where the Chargers are currently set up.
The Raiders have reportedly had talks with AT&T Park in San Francisco. Another report said they had talked with Tottenham to share their new London stadium for the entire season.
MORE FROM KSL SPORTS:
- Raiders Should Move To Salt Lake For 2019 Season
- How Does SLC Stack Up Against Potential 2019 Homes For Raiders?
- Raiders Show ‘Interest’ In Playing In San Francisco In 2019
- Biggest Drawback In Raiders Came To Utah May Be Gruden
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has asked the team to resolve its home situation quickly so that the league can establish its full schedule for the upcoming season.
