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There's been talks of a potential move for a current NFL team for some time now. The Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams and Buffalo Bills have all been rumored at one point or another as teams to potentially move to different cities. Los Angeles,Toronto and even London have been mentioned as potential destinations for a team to move to.
In a bit of a surprising development, it could be the Oakland Raiders moving to San Antonio, a city that's not been mentioned much at all as seeking an NFL team.
Raiders owner Mark Davis has reportedly met recently with several San Antonio officials to discuss the potential of moving his NFL team from the Bay Area to the Alamo City, according to MySanAntonio.com.
On July 18, Davis met with the officials, including Henry Cisneros, then-Mayor Julián Castro, City Manager Sheryl Sculley, Mario Hernandez of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, and both Richard Perez and David McGee, the president and chairman of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, respectively.
San Antonio has often been used as a bargaining chip for pro sports franchises trying to negotiate better deals in their own respective cities, but sources have characterized Davis' interest in San Antonio to be at least somewhat more serious. He is clearly perturbed with his current situation in Oakland, where the team's lease expires after the 2014-15 season.
Davis and his associates reportedly spent two or three days here, visiting the Alamodome and other places. They also took an aerial tour of the city in a helicopter, arranged by developer Marty Wender.
If the Raiders moved here, though, Davis is expected to seek a new stadium within a few years, after the team had proved itself in the Alamo City.
The last time there was serious talk of an NFL team moving to San Antonio came in 2005, when Saints owner Tom Benson had serious talks with San Antonio officials about relocating his team to the Alamo City. This however came in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the Saints ended up remaining in New Orleans.