It’s official: the Oakland Raiders are trading in the “Black Hole” for the bright lights. On Monday, the NFL owners voted for relocation. It wasn’t even close either. The final tally was 31-1 for the move.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/846426061659361281
For the Denver Broncos, it means that their biggest rival is 500 mils closer. It could also mean that the Raiders will have less of a home-field advantage. For now, however, it doesn’t mean much.
The Raiders will still play in Oakland for the next two years. They aren’t planning to move to Las Vegas until the 2019 season. It is possible though, that less fans show up to games; much like we say with the Houston Oilers prior to their move to Tennessee (where they eventually became the Titans).
Until they are able to complete construction on a new stadium (which is expected before the 2020 season), the Raiders are expected to play at UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium. According to Joe Arrigo of ESPN Las Vegas, the team will hold a “welcome to Las Vegas” rally at the Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday.