Raiders sign lease to play 2016 season in Oakland

The Raiders signed a lease to stay in Oakland this year, officials announced Thursday afternoon at a news conference.

The team’s agreement with the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority comes the week before the Feb. 17 expiration date of the Raiders’ current lease.

Raiders owner Mark Davis also announced at the news conference that the team has hired real estate executive Larry MacNeil to represent its interests in negotiations with Oakland and Alameda County.

Speaking at the news conference, Haggerty was optimistic that the new lease would give the Raiders “an opportunity to talk about other things” with officials from the city and county — including a financing plan for a new football stadium.

The land is owned and operated by the city and county Coliseum Authority, which leases O.Co to the A’s and the Raiders and Oracle Arena to the Warriors.

“I remain confident that we can build a new stadium in Oakland in a way that works for the team, the fans and the taxpayers,” Schaaf said in the statement.

The Raiders have long been threatening to move out of Oakland, even as the city and county struggle to pay off a costly renovation of the Coliseum’s east end, which includes a top deck that hasn’t been used in years — and will remain tarped off this year, Davis said.

In January, the Raiders pulled their bid to pursue a $1.7 billion stadium project with the San Diego Chargers in Carson (Los Angeles County) after the project failed to win support from NFL owners.

Speculation about a potential move was building weeks later, when Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson tried to woo the Raiders with plans for a $1 billion domed stadium.