Las Vegas hating Raiders fan OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 18: A fan holds a sign in the stands in reference to a potential move by the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas during the NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and the Atlanta Falcons at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 18, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

With the plans moving forward to build a stadium in Las Vegas that could attract the Oakland Raiders, it appears Oakland keeping the Raiders in town is not necessarily out of the question just yet. Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II says the city of Oakland will not have to match the funds being raised by Las Vegas ($750 million) to end up keeping the Raiders if a number of other factors can weigh in its favor.

The NFL is hitting the ground with evaluating the pros and cons of moving a franchise to Las Vegas now that the stadium deal is moving forward in the city. However, the thought of leaving Oakland means the NFL could be moving to a smaller market on the hopes of striking it rich in the long run in other ways. It is a gamble, of course, which is why simply moving the Raiders for the sake of placing a team in Las Vegas is not what the NFL is looking to do. The NFL wants to make money, and you can easily end up losing money in Vegas if you are not careful.

According to Sports Business Daily, the NFL is reviewing the potential for seat licences and naming rights for stadiums in Las Vegas and in Oakland to determine just how much revenue can be raised. No decisions are expected to be made soon, so do not expect the NFL to say for sure what is happening with the Raiders and Las Vegas until the NFL reviews as much data as possible. even if the Raiders do want to move to Oakland, it requires getting approval from the rest of the league, and that is not a given certainty at this point either. One NFL source told The Washington Post most of the FNL wants to stay in Oakland.

“I think in general we don’t like to leave big markets for small markets,” that source said. “That’s as big as anything. I think most people are not crazy about that,” the source told The Washington Post. “Most of us would prefer they stay in Oakland. If that’s not possible and we get to January and the Las Vegas deal is all there is, we’ll have to consider it.”

Nothing with the Raiders and the NFL is ever easy, is it? This is a franchise that has packed up and relocated twice before, so it stands to reason the NFL would prefer to do whatever it can to avoid having that franchise move again. If the Raiders do want to move, it could get quite contentious in the months to come. In the meantime, the Raiders are stuck playing in an aging stadium that floods. The sooner some resolution is reached, the better.

[Sports Business Daily, The Washington Post]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.