PHOENIX _ The NFL is ready to roll the dice.
The league intends to vote as early as Monday on the Raiders' proposal to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas, and owners at the annual meetings are leaning in favor of giving the franchise the green light.
People with knowledge of the situation told the Los Angeles Times that both the stadium and finance committees _ groups comprising 18 owners _ will endorse the relocation Monday before the full membership of 32. It is not known whether those committees are unanimous in their support of the Raiders' plan, but a significant majority favors it.
Asked Sunday for his thoughts on the NFL in Las Vegas, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said: "Well, we'll see tomorrow ... . It's going to be an exciting day for Vegas."
Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos is not on the stadium or finance committee but said he intends to vote to approve the move, calling the Raiders' plan "a great thing."
Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke is believed to be in favor of the move, and Raiders owner Mark Davis also gets a vote.
By every measure, the Raiders are well down the road toward locking up at least the minimum 24 votes required to move.
The reasons are twofold for the wind at the Raiders' back. The Las Vegas deal is enticing, with $750 million in public money on the table and Bank of America ready to finance the entire construction loan. And the NFL does not see a viable stadium option in Oakland.
Oakland and its partners made a last-ditch proposal to the league for a $1.3 billion stadium in that city. But in a letter to Mayor Libby Schaaf obtained by the East Bay Times, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote: "Despite all of these efforts, ours and yours, we have not yet identified a viable solution. It is disappointing to me and our clubs to have come to that conclusion."
Chances are, the Raiders will get their way _ and soon.
