Raiders making progress on completing Coliseum lease for ’19

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Raiders are making progress toward completing a lease to keep the team at the Oakland Coliseum for at least one more season.

Coliseum Authority director Scott McKibben said Monday that the two sides are having “good, constructive talks” for finalizing a new lease for 2019 with an option for 2020. But McKibben says there are still details to be worked out before a contract can be brought to the board for approval. McKibben says that could happen by the end of next week.

The Raiders have been searching for a home for 2019 before they move to Las Vegas to play in a new $1.8 billion, 65,000-seat stadium. The team had pulled out of lease extension talks after Oakland sued the Raiders and the NFL over the planned move to Las Vegas.

But with the team planning to practice at its facility in Alameda in 2019, staying in the Bay Area was always the top priority. The Raiders had talks about sharing a stadium with the San Francisco Giants, but that was opposed by the 49ers. The Raiders also could look into sharing Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers, although owner Mark Davis has been opposed to that option.

The Raiders weren’t immediately available for comment on the status of the talks.

The NFL needs to get a final answer on where the Raiders will play in order to put together a schedule for the upcoming season. The schedule is expected to be released in April.