Mike Davis

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Mark Davis decided to move the team from Oakland to Las Vegas after years of failed efforts to renovate or replace the Oakland Coliseum. NFL team owners approved the move, 31–1, at their annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 27, 2017. The team began play as the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 NFL season.

In Their Own Story

The narrative provided details the journey of Mark Davis from taking control in 2011 to securing Las Vegas as the new home. In October 2012, he told reporter Ian Rapoport that while he had no plans to share Levi's Stadium with the San Francisco 49ers, he hoped a new home would be built in Oakland. When the Raiders explored options like Concord Naval Weapons Station in 2013 or the Alamodome in San Antonio in July 2014, Mark Davis was the primary decision-maker. He even offered Athletics owner Lewis Wolff 20% of the Raiders in April 2017 to try and keep a stadium deal alive in Oakland. Ultimately, the lack of success with Coliseum City plans or other local solutions led the team to become the third NFL franchise to move in the 2010s, following the Rams and Chargers.

Reader's Guide

The Raiders were founded as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 and joined the NFL as a result of the merger in 1970. They played home games at the Oakland Coliseum from 1966 until 1981, then moved to Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994, and returned to Oakland in 1995. The team moved to Las Vegas in 2020.

Did You Know?

• The Raiders were the third NFL team to move from one metropolitan area to another in the 2010s, after the Rams and Chargers.
• The Raiders were the first major professional sports franchise to represent Las Vegas in the NFL, but the Vegas Golden Knights were the first major pro sports team in Las Vegas overall.
• The Raiders' lease at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum expired after the 2013 NFL season.