PHOENIX – One of the most popular offseason storylines hovering over the NFL Annual Meeting this week was Tony Romo's uncertain future with the Cowboys – a situation that currently remains, as head coach Jason Garrett put it, "status quo."
But the biggest news from the league meetings here in Phoenix was not Cowboys-related: the Raiders' approval to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas.
NFL owners voted 31-1 in favor of the move; the only opposing vote came from the Miami Dolphins, according to NFL.com.
It's the league's third approved relocation since January 2015. The Rams and Chargers have moved from St. Louis and San Diego, respectively, to bring football back to Los Angeles.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones was asked by reporters Tuesday about the Raiders' impending relocation to Las Vegas reportedly as early as 2019.
"First of all, I want to say that the Raiders through the time period of several years have made an exhaustive effort to stay in Oakland," Jones said. "That was apparent when the Los Angeles opportunity came up and they were eligible to go to Los Angeles. And it's nobody's fault. Great fans, and Oakland, Calif., is a great part of this country. In that sense I'm disappointed that the Raiders had to move.[embeddedad0]
"On the other hand, I want to congratulate (Raiders owner) Mark (Davis). The Raiders are a nationally-followed team. And while I am disappointed that they're not going to be having their games in the future right there in that area, I know that they enjoy a national reputation in terms of the following.
"I congratulate Mark, wish him the very best in Las Vegas. I want him and the Raiders to knock it out of the park in their relationship with Las Vegas. But they're one of the most universally-followed teams in the United States."
