Raiders file for Las Vegas trademarks ahead of potential move

With no evidence of progress toward a new stadium in the Bay Area, the Oakland Raiders have taken another important step in their potential relocation to Sin City.

The organization officially filed three "Las Vegas Raiders" trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.

Securing the trademarks isn't necessarily indicative of an imminent move, as there's still plenty to be done in working out a deal for the proposed development. Doing so is simply a necessary task ahead of time - the San Diego Chargers similarly filed for Los Angeles names when the club was given the option to join the Rams in their new home earlier this year.

The Raiders will remain in the East Bay for the upcoming season, and their lease at Oakland Coliseum has options for each of the following two years. As the need for a stadium solution intensifies, though, ownership will almost certainly be looking to settle the team's future by the end of this year.

All indications to this point are that Mark Davis will indeed take his team to Las Vegas, if the funding for a stadium is worked out.