‘A great Super Bowl location’: Goodell praises Davis, Allegiant Stadium

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Raiders owner Mark Davis deserves a lot of the credit for Las Vegas hosting the Super Bowl on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

Goodell said Monday at his annual Super Bowl week news conference that Davis was looking to land the NFL’s championship game the day his team’s move to the city was approved.

“He believed this would be a great Super Bowl location, so when he got the relocation approval that was one of the first things he was talking about, ‘When are we going to get a Super Bowl?’” Goodell said. “I said ‘Mark, we’ve got to play a regular season game here first.’”

The Super Bowl is coming after the Raiders’ fourth season at Allegiant Stadium and the third with fans allowed. Las Vegas has also hosted the 2022 NFL draft and two Pro Bowls in that span.

“This stadium is extraordinary and we’re here and we can feel it … and that’s our stage,” Goodell said. “For us the stadium is key, the city is key. This city really knows how to put on big events. We’ve seen that.”

Goodell said Allegiant Stadium is the No. 1 place fans see their team in an away game. Some Raiders home games feature more than 60 percent road fans, according to Las Vegas Stadium Authority data.

Goodell touched on a number of other topics during his comments Monday:

— Goodell said the Philadelphia Eagles will play in Brazil’s first NFL game Sept. 6 in Week 1 of the 2024 season. Their opponent has yet to be announced.

— Goodell considers superstar Taylor Swift’s ties to the league a huge positive. Swift, since going public with her relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, is helping the NFL draw interest from younger female fans.

— Goodell defended the league’s officials, saying they’ve done a great job despite scrutiny being at an all-time high. He said nobody is perfect and the league will use technology to improve officiating where it can.

— Goodell said the Super Bowl will not be streamed “during my lifetime.” But he did say the NFL will continue to put games exclusively on streaming platforms going forward after airing the Chiefs’ first-round playoff matchup with the Dolphins on Peacock.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.