Hours before the Raiders host the Chiefs and look to notch their first win of the 2014 season, let’s check in on the latest updates on that 0-10 club in Oakland….
- Speaking to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Raiders owner Mark Davis expressed that he doesn’t want to get caught up in an “endless cycle” of one-year lease extensions with the O.co Coliseum in Oakland. However, even though he’s acknowledged that Los Angeles and San Antonio are possible options for the franchise, Davis’ primary goal is to get a new stadium built in Oakland.
- Davis on the stadium situation: “We are trying everything possible to get something done in Oakland right on the same exact site we’re on right now. And I’d say 99% of my interests and energy are going towards getting something done there. That’s really the crux of it right now. People want to know about the other sites and there are always options. But we want to get something done in Oakland.”
- As Rapoport details in a second piece at NFL.com, Davis also gave a strong endorsement to general manager Reggie McKenzie, despite the fact that the Raiders haven’t won a game in more than a year. Pointing to this year’s draft class – including Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, and Gabe Jackson – as a success for McKenzie, the Raiders owner said that, while Tony Sparano may be an interim head coach, McKenzie isn’t an interim GM.
- More from Davis on McKenzie: “We are in really good shape, based on the way Reggie put all the contracts together and everything else. We’re not settled with a lot of upside-down situations anymore. The situation he walked into originally was pretty tough. The deconstruction phase of that went very, very well. I think we’re a pretty desirable place for someone that wants to come in and build.