Oakland Raiders: Jerry Jones Mistakenly Believes He Controls The Team
By Kevin Saito
Jerry Jones, one of the league’s most outspoken owners, believes he can use his influence to control Mark Davis and the Oakland Raiders.
More from Las Vegas Raiders News
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- Raiders: Bryan Edwards out, Henry Ruggs doubtful for Sunday
- Raiders: Damon Arnette re-injures thumb, could be headed to IR
- Raiders fall short in letdown Week 3 loss to the New England Patriots
- Raiders: Game breakdown and prediction for Week 3 at New England Patriots
The Oakland Raiders, the last time we checked, were still owned by Mark Davis and not Jerry Jones. Yet Jones, fresh off the ego-stroking triumph that was his coup to effectively shut Davis out of Los Angeles, believes he now has the clout to dictate what becomes of the Raiders moving forward – specifically when it comes to any potential relocation of the franchise.
With talks between Davis and the city of Las Vegas about a permanent home for the Silver and Black not just heating up, but reaching a boiling point, the idea that Sin City could be home to an NFL franchise – unthinkable not all that long ago – seems to be gaining some real traction.
With a $1.4 billion dollar domed stadium plan in place, Davis committing $500 million dollars toward construction of said stadium, Sheldon Anderson and the Sands Group kicking in another $150 million, all that’s really left is for the state of Nevada to approve a $750 million dollar taxpayer expenditure to get the deal done.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Oh, well that and 24 of the league’s owners are going to need to sign off on the deal before Davis will be “permitted” to move his franchise.
And that is where Davis is meeting his first stumbling block. With Jones believing he holds all of the cards regarding where teams move, he’s now overreaching into a place where he believes he can exert his unilateral control over who owns said teams.
According to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report, Jones has expressed a growing sentiment among NFL owners – that the attitude toward a team in Vegas is shifting and it’s becoming not just an acceptable idea, but one that seems inevitable.
However.
In the same breath that Jones, whose ego is second only to Donald Trump in size and scope – seriously, their egos, like the Great Wall of China can probably be seen from space – he said that he would support a move to Sin City by the Raiders with one important caveat – that it be headed by “the right ownership.”
Which clearly implies Jones does not believe Davis is said “right ownership.”
It’s been fairly common knowledge for a while that before the legendary Al Davis’ body had even cooled, Jones was in the younger Davis’s ear, pushing him to sell the team. Jones does not believe that the younger Davis has the wherewithal or smarts to maximize the potential earnings of a franchise, let alone a franchise in Vegas – which, given that Jones’ love of money is a close second only to his ego in terms of sheer size – is the determining factor in which the Cowboys’ flamboyant owner makes any decision.
Make him a pile of money, and Jones is going to be your best friend. Make him less than he feels entitled to, and he’s going to be a little frosty to you. Have no money at all, and he’ll likely kick you in the face, given half a chance. Jones is nothing, if not greedy.
What Jones is doing is tantamount to extortion. If Davis sells the team or relinquishes operational control of it, he’ll support the Raiders’ move to Vegas. If he doesn’t, Jones will oppose it. And given Jones’ influence around the league, it could be enough to rally up the eight votes needed to keep it from going down.
However, there are two owners who are going to support Davis’ bid to relocate to Vegas – Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Rams owner Stan Kroenke. Their support will come from a sense of self preservation – if the Raiders leave California, all the better for them since neither wants them in the City of Angels given the fact that they will outdraw both teams – probably combined – every single year.
Even if Jones balks at the idea of Davis relocating to Vegas, Spanos and Kroenke could lead a charge to upend his plans and allow the Raiders to go to Nevada – even with Mark still at the helm.
Next: A Few Concerns Heading Toward The Season
There is of course, a third alternative – if the owners ultimately deny is bid to move, Davis could just take a page out of his father’s playbook by up and moving his franchise to Vegas anyway. And when the league objects, sue them using federal antitrust laws. Just like his father did back in his heydey.
And hey, given the level of respect Jones had for the elder Davis, perhaps if the younger Davis threw down that particular gauntlet, Jones might respect him all the more for it.