For the first time in Raiders franchise history, the team might sell out their season tickets.
"We're excited as hell," Raiders owner Mark Davis said in telling the news to ESPN.com. "Again, we've got the greatest fans in the world. The Raider Nation is strong."
While we're not sure exactly how close, and newfangled season-ticket packages can create some fairly nebulous figures, this has to be looked at as a great sign for general manager Reggie McKenzie and his team. If nothing else, he's shown that putting a young, exciting product on the field can translate to good business. The proclamation by Davis is even more amazing considering the Raiders are on a 1-year lease with Oakland Alameda Coliseum. Though they can sign 1-year leases in 2017 and 2018 as well, it's clear the team is looking for a different solution in Oakland or perhaps Los Angeles.
It makes us wonder if one of the league's longest playoff droughts is about to end. The Raiders have not reached the postseason since 2002 under Bill Callahan -- the year they lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since then, Oakland has not had a winning season, with two 8-8 campaigns engineered by Hue Jackson and Tom Cable as the lone bright spots.
The Raiders will nearly be sold out, they will have a Pro Bowl franchise quarterback entering his third season, a top-2 pass rusher entering his third season and a budding star at wide receiver entering his second. Across the board, they will have one of the best three offensive lines on paper. All-of-a-sudden, the rebuild becomes a make-or-break season now that expectations are high and fans are in the seats.
Will Oakland reward their new fans in 2016?
