West Notes: Raiders, Fisher, Rams, Broncos

Suspended Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith is “mad and frustrated” about the way his reinstatement bid has stalled, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Smith applied for a return in October, just under a year after the league handed him a one-year ban for a substance abuse violation. That year has since passed, but there’s still no word on Smith’s future. “He is losing hope,” Smith’s personal trainer, Steve Fotion, told Tafur. “They are jerking him around, telling him they’ll have an answer for him on Monday. And then nothing. It seems unprofessional.” Smith has “been randomly drug-tested and they have all come back clean,” Fotion added. The 27-year-old pass rusher met with commissioner Roger Goodell last Friday. Goodell acknowledged that meeting earlier this week, though he didn’t offer details on when he’ll decide Smith’s fate.

More on the Silver and Black and a couple other franchises:

  • There was a report earlier this week pointing to disharmony between Raiders owner Mark Davis and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, but team officials had a productive meeting with Adelson at his office Thursday. “Both are working very hard to finalize a deal,” tweeted Clark County (Nev.) Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, who was also in attendance. Further, Sisolak dismissed the idea that Davis and Adelson don’t get along, writes Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Raiders remain focused on Vegas relocation, which the league could vote on in March, and don’t regard the city of Oakland’s $1.3 billion stadium plan as economically viable.
  • Former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher doesn’t believe the team ever intended to keep him in place for its 2019 move to a new stadium in Inglewood, he told FOX Sports’ Charissa Thompson (via Marc Sessler of NFL.com). “He didn’t win enough games, and the organization has a much bigger picture,” Fisher said on why the Rams fired him Monday. “And I don’t think I was ever part of seeing the new stadium.” Had the Rams experienced more success under Fisher, perhaps he could have been at the helm when they shifted to their new facility. The club went just 31-45-1 with Fisher, though, and its 4-8 start this year was enough for owner Stan Kroenke to go in another direction.
  • The Broncos worked out punter A.J. Hughes on Thursday, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. Notably, the team already has a capable option in Riley Dixon, who ranks seventh in the league in net yards per punt (41.2) and 11th in punts inside the 20 (twenty-two). As of earlier this month, his net average was the highest ever for a rookie, per Broncos vice president of public relations Patrick Smyth (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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