Raiders Peruse Oakland

Oakland is close to bringing the Los Angeles Raiders back to their old home, the chairman of the Oakland Coliseum told the San Francisco Chronicle.

While talks still could fall apart, the normally cautious George Vukasin said he hoped to have a deal as early as next week.

Raiders owner Al Davis already has declared he will not play in the aging Los Angeles Coliseum this fall.

The L.A. Rams’ move to St. Louis means the Raiders might be able to play in Anaheim, and the NFL approved a plan to build a new stadium at Hollywood Park.

But Davis has not committed to moving there, and Vukasin, chairman of the Oakland Coliseum, said it could be five years before that stadium is built.

Wide receiver Tom Waddle, who played five seasons with the Chicago Bears, retired from professional football. Waddle, 28, had signed with Cincinnati on April 3 as an unrestricted free agent and had taken part in a voluntary mini-camp this week, but said he felt he was not able to play up to previous standards.

Word has it that the New England Patriots are in the process of changing their jerseys again.

Insiders say the Kraft family wants to put its own look on the Patriots uniform and will hold a press conference in the near future to display it.

Reportedly, the logo and the numbers on top of the shoulder will be rearranged, and the numbers on the front and back of the jersey will be three-dimensional.