Orlando Agrees With Raiders: There Will Be No Move There

Orlando city officials publicly conceded Monday what they had privately known since last week, that the Raiders had no intention of moving there.

“After numerous telephone negotiations, certain economic specifics could not be resolved,” Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood said in a prepared statement.

There is no evidence there was any serious negotiating by the Raiders. Owner Al Davis toured the 72,000-seat Citrus Bowl while in Orlando last month for the owners’ meetings. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Davis asked for improvements to the stadium that would have cost $30-40 million.

Orlando officials were preparing a relocation package for the Raiders, but were told last week not to bother.

The Coliseum, the Raiders’ home since 1982, is undergoing approximately $35 million worth of repair work to fix damage caused by the January earthquake and is expected to be ready by the start of the season, probably at a reduced capacity of 50,000.

Also on Monday, the Raiders signed tight end Jamie Williams, a free agent who spent five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.