Chargers Sign LB Korey Toomer
The Chargers signed linebacker Korey Toomer off of the Raiders’ practice squad. Today, Toomer took to Twitter to announce the news. 
“Thanking god for all my opportunities that I’ve had this journey has been a wild one thank you Raiders and #Raidernation hello @Chargers,” Toomer tweeted.
Recently, the Chargers lost Manti Te’o for the season when he tore his Achilles. The Bolts immediately started looking for outside help at linebacker and they found some depth in Toomer. The inside linebacker will have a chance to show his former team what he can do when the Chargers play the Raiders in Week 5.
Toomer, 28 in December, appeared in ten games for the Raiders last season. In 2014, he saw his first NFL action with the Cowboys (one game) and the Rams (seven games).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/27/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Cam Johnson
- Cut: LB Shaq Riddick
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Ed Eagan, C Terran Vaughn
- Cut: LB Carlos Fields, S Damian Parms
Green Bay Packers
- Cut: CB Robertson Daniel (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Adam Redmond
- Cut: S Lee Hightower
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OT Rashod Hill (Twitter link via agent Brett Tessler)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: C Daniel Munyer
- Cut: WR Seantavius Jones (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Lynden Trail (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
New England Patriots
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Doran Grant
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Julian Stanford
- Cut: WR Wendall Williams
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DL Demetrius Cherry (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle)
- Cut: LB Korey Toomer (Twitter link via Tafur)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Zac Brooks (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia)
- Cut: WR Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: G Darrell Greene
- Cut: CB JaCorey Shepherd (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Jacob Hagen (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Jordan Leslie
- Cut: NT Antwaun Woods
Washington Redskins
- Signed: CB Lloyd Carrington (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post), CB Tye Smith (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post)
- Cut: LB Amarlo Herrera
NFL Waiver Priority Now Based On 2016 Record
We’re coming up on Week 4 of the NFL season and that means that waiver claim priority will be based on the current league standings instead of last year’s. Of course, waiver priority is based on the inverted NFL standings, which have built in tiebreakers to sort out the many logjams that naturally occur.
Throughout the offseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the Titans enjoyed top priority thanks to their 3-13 finish last year. Now, we have a brand new pecking order. Here is a full rundown of the current waiver claim priority, which will change from week to week:
1. Jaguars
2. Saints
3. Bears
4. Browns
5. Chargers
6. Lions
7. Jets
8. Cardinals
9. Bills
10. Colts
11. Dolphins
12. 49ers
13. Buccaneers
14. Bengals
15. Titans
16. Redskins
17. Panthers
18. Falcons
19. Cowboys
20. Giants
21. Raiders
22. Packers
23. Chiefs
24. Rams
25. Seahawks
26. Texans
27. Steelers
28. Ravens
29. Eagles
30. Broncos
31. Vikings
32. Patriots
Raiders Cut FB Marcel Reece
The Raiders have released fullback Marcel Reece, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Reece was scheduled to return from suspension this week. 
Reece, who was in Oakland since making his NFL debut in 2009, violated the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs. The multi-game ban cost him a trip to the Pro Bowl after last season and, apparently, led the Raiders to finding his full-time replacement. Reece was scheduled to play out the 2016 season at a cap number of $3.53MM, but Oakland has opted against taking on that cap hit.
In 2015, Reece caught 30 passes for 269 yards and three TDs and also added 36 rushing yards. Most importantly, he served as a solid blocker for quarterback Derek Carr and running back Latavius Murray in the backfield. Now, Jamize Olawale is being counted on to do the dirty work for Oakland.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Pushing To Keep Raiders In Oakland
The financial trail continues to connect Mark Davis and the Raiders to Las Vegas, with the Southern Nevada Tourism and Infrastructure Committee having approved the $750MM in public money for a stadium. However, the NFL and many of its owners may not be on board with this venture that’s been a key 2016 storyline.
Following Roger Goodell‘s seemingly pro-Oakland comments and NFL executive Eric Grubman’s visit to the city last week to meet with local municipalities, sources informed Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com the sentiment of the league to keep the Raiders in Oakland is “stronger than ever.”
Shifting to the owners’ side, “numerous” ownership sources told La Canfora the view among them is to keep the Raiders where they’ve played for the past 22 seasons, even if Davis can secure funding for the Las Vegas stadium. Nevada governor Brian Sandoval and the state legislature must approve the funds for the SNTIC’s determined amount to be finalized for this project.
The Bay Area market’s advantage over Las Vegas serves as a distinctive factor here, with the former being viewed as superior based on its size, population, location and per capita income. The sources who spoke with La Canfora also have considerable reservations as to whether Davis can secure the additional 23 votes he’d need from the owners to relocate if this reaches that stage. And they doubt he would move without permission and bring about a lengthy legal battle like his father did when he initially uprooted the Raiders to Los Angeles in 1982.
While the NFL apparently is bullish on the Raiders’ prospects of staying in Oakland — despite Davis’ repeated proclamations he will move to Vegas if the money is approved — nothing much has transpired for the long-term Bay Area stadium that many parties now are trying to secure. Mayor Libby Schaaf has remained steadfast on her lack of desire to make much of a public-money commitment for a new Raiders venue.
But Grubman, who serves as the league’s primary stadium point man, will make a return trip to Oakland to continue discussions with a financial adviser who is coordinating Oakland’s end of these stadium talks. La Canfora adds there’s an expectation the “highest reaches” of the league office will remain in close contact with Oakland-area politicians throughout this season.
So, the momentum the Raiders-to-Vegas venture gained this year — with Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft weighing in on the potential intrigue of an expansion into Nevada — appears to have hit a significant stumbling block.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Raiders’ Potential Relocation
The relationship between Las Vegas-based businessman Sheldon Adelson and Raiders owner Mark Davis hit a snag when Adelson expressed a desire to buy a piece of the team last week, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Davis subsequently called Adelson’s office in anger, per Cole, who adds that other NFL owners are wary of Adelson. Commissioner Roger Goodell, who works for the owners, expressed doubt Sunday that casino-filled Las Vegas would be a proper market for the league.
Alienating Adelson could cost the Raiders a chance to relocate to Vegas, as the 83-year-old casino owner is willing to contribute $650MM to a proposed $1.9 billion football stadium in the city. Previously, Adelson threatened to withdraw financial support without the approval of a record $750MM in public money going toward the venture. The Southern Nevada Tourism and Infrastructure Committee did approve that total last Thursday, thereby clearing one major hurdle. The next step is for the $1.9 billion plan to receive a thumbs up from Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Legislature.
Sandoval said Wednesday that he intends to begin a special session of the Legislature no earlier than Oct. 7 and no later than Oct. 13, reports Michelle Rindels of the Associated Press (Twitter link). Sandoval also revealed that he has recently spoken with Davis, who is eager to go forward with the plan.
“Just as I have met with the top leaders prior to those announcements, this week I met with the owner of the Raiders, Mark Davis. He was committed and resolute in the team’s interest in relocating to our state,” said Sandoval (via KTVN).
Given that Davis is still on board with Las Vegas, it seems his relationship with Adelson isn’t ruined. Assuming the Legislature signs off on the high-priced stadium, Davis would still need 23 approval votes from the league’s other 31 owners to move his franchise. If they’re not comfortable with Adelson, it could dash Davis’ hopes.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Roger Goodell On Raiders’ Future, Las Vegas
The Raiders are seemingly progressing toward a move to Las Vegas by next season, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wants the franchise to remain in Oakland, its longtime home.
“No market should lose their team once let alone twice. I believe there’s a solution in Oakland,” Goodell told reporters Sunday (Twitter link via Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press).
The Raiders first played in Oakland from 1960-1981 before relocating to Los Angeles through the 1994 campaign. The club then returned to Oakland, though it now appears in danger of heading elsewhere again.
The Raiders haven’t made progress toward the construction of a new stadium in Oakland, but earlier this week, the Southern Nevada Tourism and Infrastructure Committee approved the use of a record $750MM in public money for a facility that would house the team in Las Vegas. The next step is for the $1.9MM billion stadium proposal to receive a thumbs up from Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Legislature, which appears likely, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report said Friday.
It helps Vegas’ cause that Raiders owner Mark Davis is eager to move the team there. After the SNTIC’s decision, Davis told USA Today via text message, “We are excited and thanks to the committee.”
While Goodell would like for Davis to keep the Raiders where they are, he didn’t close the door on relocation Sunday.
“We recognize the power and strength of the Raiders’ brand and understand their desire to explore all possible options for the team’s future,” said Goodell (via CSNBayArea.com).
Goodell added that there’s “still a lot of work to be done” for Las Vegas to become part of the NFL (via the Associated Press). While Goodell acknowledged that it’s up to the league’s 32 owners whether a franchise will end up there, he’s unsure if placing a team in a casino-filled city would be a good idea.
To this point, the city of Oakland, led by Mayor Libby Schaaf, hasn’t shown a willingness to commit nearly as much in public money to a new stadium as Vegas could.
“As Mayor of Oakland, it’s my job to remain fully focused on what I can do to responsibly keep the team where they belong, here in Oakland,” Schaaf said Thursday. “While Nevada lawmakers consider making the largest public investment in a private stadium deal in history by approving a $750 million public subsidy for a facility in Las Vegas, I will continue to work with the NFL and the Raiders’ designee Larry McNeil to iron out a deal that works for the team, the league, the fans and the taxpayers in Oakland.”
If the Raiders’ Vegas plans fall through, their only choice might be Oakland. In theory, a return to Los Angeles could happen if the Chargers don’t join the Rams there, but CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported on Sunday that the Bolts look likely to move there. He added that the league doesn’t want the Raiders to go back to LA.
For now, the Raiders are on a one-year lease to play at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which opened in 1966. In what could have been the team’s final home opener in Oakland, the Raiders dropped a 35-28 decision to the Falcons on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers Resigned To Los Angeles Move?
This week, the Chargers’ future has resurfaced as a key topic despite the seminal downtown-stadium measure not being set for a vote until November. The latest news coming out of San Diego leans toward the Bolts packing up and leaving.
Sources have informed Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com the Chargers, assuming this upcoming vote fails to surpass the two-thirds majority as expected, will have no choice but to accept Stan Kroenke‘s offer and join the Rams in Los Angeles in 2017. The Chargers’ decision-makers are now resigned to the fact the stadium measure will fail and put them to a choice to follow through on the Los Angeles move, which has long been associated with a better financial opportunity for the team.
These sources told La Canfora this not being the Bolts’ final home opener in San Diego would represent a “shocking” turn of events. The Chargers clearly aren’t excited about becoming Kroenke’s tenant in Inglewood but don’t exactly view their chances as favorable of ever winning a local vote if this one doesn’t go their way.
“It’s pretty cut and dry,” one official told La Canfora. “There is no unknown solution waiting to surface.”
This runs counter to former Bolts GM A.J. Smith saying those around the league believe the Chargers will stay in San Diego. The Chargers have long let it be known they’re unhappy at their current Mission Valley site, hence the team’s effort to secure public funding for a downtown stadium. If that fails, the Chargers would almost certainly be forced to remain at their current site, at which they’ll begin regular-season play for a 49th year, if they were going to stay in San Diego.
The Los Angeles Coliseum, which will host the Rams for three seasons beginning today, looks like the Chargers’ playing site for two years, per La Canfora. But he also hears from some in the organization the much smaller StubHub Center could be a better fit.
Used to host Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy and second-tier boxing cards, the StubHub Center holds 30,000 fans — which would be by far the smallest venue in the NFL. Although, the Chargers bolting for Los Angeles would be a curious fit since the franchise has no real history there despite playing in the city in 1960 and already watched a team that does have history in L.A. move back. So, how the team would be perceived from a fan-interest standpoint after leaving its longtime market would be interesting.
While we’ve heard neither Kroenke nor the NFL want two teams in Los Angeles, La Canfora notes the league “staunchly” does not want the Raiders in L.A., and owners believe Dean Spanos could opt for a lower relocation fee than the Rams’ $550MM due to this.
Raiders’ Relocation Odds Increasing
The odds of the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas are increasing, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, who hears that both Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Legislature will likely approve businessman Sheldon Adelson’s $1.9 billion stadium plan (video link). Adelson’s proposal calls for a record $750MM in public money, which would come from a hotel tax increase, as well as $650MM from him and another $500MM courtesy of the Raiders.
Cole’s report comes a day after the Southern Nevada Tourism and Infrastructure Committee approved the use of $750MM in public money toward a stadium. That decision, which came after months of negotiations and a threat from Adelson’s company to withdraw financial support, left Raiders owner Mark Davis optimistic about relocation.
“We are excited and thanks to the committee,” Davis told USA Today in a text message.
One potential hurdle is whether the stadium vote comes before or after the Nov. 8 elections in Nevada, notes Cole, though he adds that it would take a “miracle” for the Raiders’ relocation plans to fall through.
Andy Abboud, who’s the vice president of government relations and community development of Adelson’s company, Las Vegas Sands, said Thursday that the Raiders could have difficulty moving by next season if the Nevada Legislature doesn’t hold a special session to vote on the stadium proposal before Nov. 8 (via Art Marroquin and Tom Spousta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Abboud’s reasoning: The Raiders’ relocation package would also require approval from the NFL in January, when they’d need 24 of the league’s 32 owners to sign off on a move. Ray Ratto of CSNBayArea.com wrote Thursday that Davis isn’t a lock to receive the necessary amount of support to shift his franchise to Las Vegas.
For its part, Oakland – where the Raiders launched in 1960 – is not “giving up,” Mayor Libby Schaaf told Ratto on Thursday. The city isn’t ready to commit nearly as much in public money to a new stadium as Vegas could, though.
“While Nevada lawmakers consider making the largest public investment in a private stadium deal in history by approving a $750MM public subsidy for a facility in Las Vegas, I will continue to work with the NFL and the Raiders’ designee Larry McNeil to iron out a deal that works for the team, the league, the fans and the taxpayers in Oakland,” Schaaf stated.
The Raiders’ current facility, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, opened in 1966. The franchise called it home until 1981 and, after spending over a decade in Los Angeles, has played there since 1995.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Owners May Still Vote Against Raiders
- The Raiders‘ potential trek to Las Vegas will still rely on owners getting behind a Mark Davis-backed venture, something that shouldn’t be considered a sure thing, Ray Ratto of CSNBayArea.com writes. Ratto writes the Jaguars and Chargers are the two logical candidates for the NFL to place in Vegas if the stadium deal is agreed upon. Neither has been seriously connected to a Nevada move. However, Ratto notes Jerry Jones‘ power among the owners shouldn’t be dismissed. Despite working against the Raiders in February to push the Rams to Los Angeles, Jones has voiced support for a Raiders-to-Vegas venture and could be expected to whip votes if this measure reaches a vote.