A report earlier this week indicated that the Saints

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Michael Thomas still had a sizable gap to bridge in talks about a new contract and there’s now word on exactly how big a gap exists between the two sides.Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com had the initial report and reports on Friday that Thomas is looking for an average annual salary of $22 million a year in his next contract. He adds that the Saints are offering something in the neighborhood of $18 million per year.Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. currently has the highest average salary per year for wide receivers at $18 million. With Thomas , Julio Jones, A.J. Green and Amari Cooper all in the market for new deals, that number is likely to go up at some point in the near future.It may not reach the number that Thomas is seeking, although Duncan reports that’s already come down over the course of talks with the team. It could continue to come down and nothing is expected to happen in the immediate future as Thomas is traveling in Europe at the moment. OAKLAND , Calif. (AP) — A lease agreement to keep the Raiders in Oakland for at least one more season is coming to a vote this week.The Coliseum Authority scheduled a vote for Friday on a lease with the Raiders for 2019 with an option for 2020. The deal also must be approved by the Oakland City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors but no hang-ups are expected after the Raiders and the Coliseum Authority worked out their last remaining issues this week.The Raiders will pay $7.5 million in rent for 2019 and have a $10.5 million option for 2020 in case their new $1.8 billion, 65,000-seat stadium in Las Vegas isn’t ready by then.Barring any setbacks in Las Vegas, this likely will be the Raiders’ final season in Oakland after moving back from Los Angeles in 1995. The Raiders began playing at the Coliseum in 1966 and were there through the 1981 season before going to Southern California.The Raiders had pulled out of lease extension talks after Oakland sued the Raiders and the NFL over the planned move to Las Vegas. But with the team planning to practice at its facility in Alameda in 2019 , staying in the Bay Area was always the top priority.The Raiders had talks about sharing a stadium with the San Francisco Giants, but that was opposed by the 49ers. The Raiders also could have looked into sharing Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers, although owner Mark Davis was opposed to that option.The NFL needed to get a final answer on where the Raiders will play this season in order to put together the 2019 schedule, which is expected to be released in April.

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