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          NFL Nation

          Marcel Reece: We want to stay in Oakland, but Las Vegas is viable

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          Mark Davis on Vegas: 'I haven't heard anybody say no' (0:23)

          Raiders owner Mark Davis expresses his optimism and commitment to a potential move of the franchise to Las Vegas. (0:23)

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterMay 25, 2016, 07:00 AM ET
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              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
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          ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Marcel Reece, a four-time Pro Bowl fullback, is the longest-tenured position player on the Oakland Raiders' roster.

          John Lotulelei, a linebacker who has yet to appear in a game for Oakland, is simply trying to make the team's 53-man roster.

          Both players, though, have unique insights when it comes to the Raiders' romance with Las Vegas as a potential new home. Reece is the veteran with a strong relationship with owner Mark Davis, and Lotulelei played his college ball at UNLV.

          "I know for a fact that from the players to the coaching staff to the front office to the owner, we want to stay in Oakland," Reece said Tuesday after the opening practice of organized team activities.

          "But if Oakland is not an option, then other things would have to be considered."

          One of those options is Southern Nevada. At the NFL owners meetings in North Carolina on Tuesday, Davis again made clear his desire to make Vegas the Raiders' future home.

          Reece, who joined the Raiders as a street free agent in 2008, was not worried about fans turning on the team, echoing Davis' earlier statement to reporters that a team in Las Vegas might "unite" the fan base.

          "The real [Raider] Nation will follow, just like the real players will play anywhere," Reece said. "Put us in a parking lot and we'll play there.

          "If Vegas is the option, then that's it. Vegas is viable. It's not a joke. It's not leverage."

          Lotulelei played two seasons at UNLV, in 2011 and 2012. So yeah, he understands the trappings, real and perceived, of calling Sin City home.

          "There's so many distractions there, although I went to UNLV and everything worked out fine for me," Lotulelei said. "I feel like if the team is focused and knows what they're doing and they know the surroundings, they'll be able to survive out there."

          Lotulelei means that the Vegas scene could actually act as a true home-field advantage ... so long as the distractions actually serve to sharpen the focus, he said.

          "You go out there and keep your mind right, have a good mindset, and you get after everything and the football team has the same goals, then I feel like they can thrive," Lotulelei said. "With the surroundings in Vegas, it would be tough for any team to come in there. But if a team has their goals right and they're focused and they have the same mindset, I think it would work out pretty well.

          "If it does end up going there, I'd be stoked."