Raiders, Las Vegas stadium on agenda for NFL owners meetings
CHICAGO — NFL owners hold their annual spring meetings in a downtown hotel here Tuesday, where the theme of the gathering could be dominated by talk of stadiums.
The Raiders and a unanimously approved lease with the Stadium Authority Board in Las Vegas are on the agenda, in which owners are expected to sign off on the deal.
Should no issues arise during those discussions, the 30-month construction timeline to have the stadium off Russell Road ready for the 2020 season moves forward.
Also, owners are expected to discuss the situation in Inglewood, California, where the opening of a $2.6 billion stadium for the Rams and Chargers has been delayed until 2020.
Super Bowl LV already has been awarded to the stadium for February 2021, meaning owners would have to grant a waiver to the league’s rule that no stadium can host a Super Bowl in its first year of operation.
There is precedent for a waiver, as the league allowed MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to host a Super Bowl despite average temperatures at the stadium being lower than those required by the NFL.
Rules changes also are expected to be discussed:
■ Owners could vote to shorten overtime from 15 to 10 minutes. Much of the support behind this change is in regard to safety and reducing the numbers of snaps a player takes in one game.
■ Expect some change to celebration penalties. Many believe the league will allow the ball to again be used as a prop when celebrating without the fear of penalty or fine.
■ Owners might approve teams bringing two players off injured reserve during the season. Currently, teams are only allowed to return one player to practice if he has been on injured reserve at least six weeks.
More Raiders: Follow all of our Oakland Raiders-to-Las Vegas coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Raiders and @NFLinVegas on Twitter.
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. Follow @edgraney on Twitter