mark davis
Getty
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis.
Considering Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis doesn’t have children or a clear heir, there’s been a lot of speculation about who will own the franchise after him. Tom Brady has been floated as an option, but he likely wouldn’t have the capital to afford to buy the majority stake.
It now looks like there’s finally a plan in place. In 2024, Egon Durban bought 7.5% of the Raiders from Davis. He’s not going to stop there. According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr., the Raiders are setting up a succession plan that would eventually make Durban the controlling owner.
“NFL owners are scheduled to vote on a Las Vegas Raiders succession plan that gives Silver Lake co-chief executive officer Egon Durban the option to purchase a majority stake in the team from longtime owner Mark Davis, according to multiple ownership and team executives with direct knowledge of the situation,” Wickersham and Van Natta wrote.
Davis Doesn’t Plan to Sell the Team
On the surface, this sounds like a big deal, but it doesn’t seem to change much for the Raiders right now. Based on ESPN’s reports, Davis isn’t planning to sell the team, but is selling Durban a bigger share of the franchise.
“Although sources close to Davis say he has no intention of selling his majority stake, the vote would mean that if and when Davis, or his heirs, did decide to sell, Durban, a limited partner, would have the option to buy the club,” Wickersham and Van Natta wrote. “Owners would then have to approve Durban as the new controlling owner, per league rules.
“Four sources with knowledge of the situation said that owners will also vote on Davis selling roughly 7% of the team to Durban and another limited partner, Michael Meldman. That sale would put the team’s valuation at nearly $10 billion, two of those sources said.”
While the Raiders aren’t going to be under new ownership anytime soon, this does give some clarity on who the next owner may be.
“Mark has no intention to sell his majority stake in the team. This sets up a smooth succession plan,” a source close to Davis told ESPN.
What This Means for Raiders
The Davis family has owned the Raiders since Al Davis bought the controlling interest in the team in 1972. He only had one child, Mark, and he hasn’t had any children of his own.
While it’s possible that Mark Davis has an heir in mind, it sounds like Durban will eventually be the controlling owner. That said, it’s unclear why exactly the Raiders needed to get a plan in place for Durban to buy the team now instead of when Davis eventually decides to sell the team.
It’s unlikely the team would simply go to Durban if Davis were to pass before officially selling the franchise. Regardless, Raiders fans should feel better knowing that a known commodity will likely own the team in the future. Davis has been very protective of the brand, so he likely wouldn’t give this honor to Durban if he didn’t believe that he would continue to protect the brand.