Raiders interview Lofton

San Diego Chargers receivers coach James Lofton interviewed Tuesday for the Oakland Raiders’ head coaching vacancy and has emerged as a possible favorite for the job.

Lofton, a Hall of Fame receiver, met with Oakland owner Al Davis and other team executives to discuss replacing the fired Art Shell. The sides plan to continue discussions later this week.

Lofton was one of the candidates last year when Shell was hired to replace Norv Turner. Lofton played for the team for two seasons when the Raiders were in Los Angeles. Lofton’s longtime relationship with Davis could be a key factor in the search for Oakland’s fifth coach in seven seasons. The Raiders just completed a 2-14 season.

“He had a great session with the Raiders,” Lofton’s attorney, Rich Nichols, said Tuesday night. “They have a great relationship that goes back 20 years. It went very well today and he’s very excited about it. He’s looking forward hopefully to the next step.”

USC quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian, Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, and former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel interviewed for the job last week.

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Mike Shula interviewed for the Miami Dolphins’ coaching job Saturday and is one of at least five candidates under consideration, the team said.

Shula’s dad, Don, coached the Dolphins for 26 years.

Hiring the younger Shula would mean a swap of coaches with Alabama. He was fired by the Crimson Tide in November and replaced by Nick Saban, who left the Dolphins on Jan. 3 after two seasons.

Other remaining candidates to replace Saban: former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora, Georgia Tech Coach Chan Gailey, Dolphins defensive coordinator Dom Capers and San Diego offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

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London will hold the NFL’s first regular-season game outside North America this year, the start of a campaign to take American football to a global audience.

The opponents have yet to be announced, but the Dolphins and Giants are believed to be front-runners for the game. The Dolphins, but not the Giants, are one of six NFL teams the league identified as potential home teams. They would give up a home game in Miami to play host to the contest in London.

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The San Francisco 49ers extended their lease for five years at Monster Park, but team officials were continuing to focus on the possibility of building a new stadium in Silicon Valley.

In a letter delivered to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on Friday, team officials said they were extending their lease for the city-owned stadium from May 2008 through May 2013.