Source: Marshawn Lynch, Raiders have no deal yet

Marshawn Lynch still might be on the cusp of joining his hometown team.

But for now, no deal between the running back and the Raiders is finalized.

A report surfaced Friday afternoon that the Raiders and Lynch have agreed to terms on a deal. Shortly afterward, a source close to the situation characterized the report as “100 percent false.” That development, while not considered imminent, would mark a crucial step toward bridging a union between the sides.

After Lynch agrees to terms and is activated from retirement, the Seahawks still must trade his rights to the Raiders.

Forget, for a movement, the franchise’s forthcoming move to Las Vegas. This deal would be all about Oakland.

Lynch grew up there, starring at Oakland Technical High — a 10-mile drive from the Oakland Coliseum — before thriving at nearby California during his college career. While Las Vegas one day will have the Raiders, Lynch likely won’t ever step foot near the Strip, in cleats anyway. He is 30 and spent last season in retirement.

The contract length is not expected to carry into the team’s arrival in Southern Nevada.

Michael Silver of NFL Network reported the deal was completed. Soon enough, it very well could be.

In the interim, the wait continues.

Said Lynch on Twitter: “When (stuff) gets real, I’ll tell you.”

NFL on the move

The NFL released a statement Friday about why owners approved the Raiders’ move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

The league said it justified the move the Southern Nevada because “it offers the Raiders a genuine opportunity to resolve longstanding stadium issues and is expected to provide the club with solid future prospects.”

Also, the league said Oakland’s stadium proposal was rejected because “the stadium proposals received from Oakland are dependent on various contingencies and involve a number of significant uncertainties that the membership concluded cannot be resolved in a reasonable time.”

Here is the complete statement from the league:

On March 27, 2017, league membership considered an application from the Oakland Raiders to relocate the club’s home territory to Las Vegas, where the club would play in a new stadium to be built through a public-private partnership.

Under the league’s Policy and Procedures on Proposed Franchise Relocations (the “guidelines”), the application was reviewed by the NFL Finance and Stadium Committees. Prior to the member clubs meeting to consider the application, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a report addressing the factors identified in the guidelines as relevant to the member clubs’ evaluation of proposed franchise relocations.

The commissioner and membership had found in 2016, in the context of considering an application by the Raiders to relocate to Los Angeles, that the Raiders’ current home stadium is not adequate for NFL football, and must be replaced, a conclusion agreed to by the civic leadership in Oakland. Notwithstanding the established preference for clubs to continue to serve their existing fans and communities, the member clubs concluded that the Raiders should be permitted to relocate from Oakland. This conclusion has not changed in the past year. Similarly, the Raiders are not barred by the club’s current lease from relocating to another community.

For more than a decade, the Raiders have worked diligently and in good faith to improve the club’s stadium situation in Oakland. The NFL determined not to accept relocation applications prior to the 2015 season, and the Raiders were not permitted to relocate to Los Angeles prior to the 2016 season. This gave Oakland leadership additional time to address the Raiders’ acknowledged stadium issues. The NFL emphasized that the member clubs would be unlikely to accept contingent or uncertain stadium proposals as a basis for requiring a club that otherwise qualifies for relocation to remain in its home market. The stadium proposals received from Oakland are dependent on various contingencies and involve a number of significant uncertainties that the membership concluded cannot be resolved in a reasonable time. This is true even though the League has long accepted the community’s position that it will not invest public funds into stadium construction.

The proposal to relocate to Las Vegas involves a clearly-defined and well-financed proposal for a first-class stadium in a diverse and growing community that is well-recognized as an entertainment destination. It offers the Raiders a genuine opportunity to resolve longstanding stadium issues and is expected to provide the club with solid future prospects.

After full consideration, the membership approved the relocation of the Raiders’ home territory to Las Vegas.

Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.