Raiders reportedly in talks with San Diego Mayor’s office about potentially playing home games at Qualcomm Stadium next season

As the next step in a seemingly inevitable process, the Raiders have reached out and are said to be in discussions with the San Diego mayor’s office about the possibility of calling San Diego home for the 2019 season. This according to Dan Sileo of 97.3 The Fan in San Diego.

“I got this email last night,” said Sileo, noting it was from a somewhat well known San Diego attorney who he would not name. He then read the email aloud. ‘I wanted to let you to know off the record here . . . that I learned tonight (this was last night) that there have been discussions between the Raiders playing next season in San Diego with both the Mayor’s office and management of the Raiders.’”

Sileo goes on to read the email as saying that the NFL would not want the Raiders to play a home game against the Chargers in San Diego — essentially making the Chargers the road team in their former city — so the workaround for that would be to have the two teams play that game internationally; either in London or Mexico City.

The Raiders are already scheduled to play a home game internationally, though the opponent has not yet been announced. Or perhaps, it is not yet decided. And whether that game would be in London or Mexico City has also not yet been announced.

Other potential locations for the Raiders to play home games next season that have been mentioned and/or who the Raiders have reportedly had discussions include AT&T Park in San Francisco and London. That being not just one game in London, but the entire season. And, of course, playing out their final season in Oakland before heading to Las Vegas in 2020 is still an option.