Credit: USA Today Sports
NFL owners unanimously approved a $1.4 billion renovation plan for the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ EverBank Stadium on Tuesday. The project, set to begin in early 2025, will significantly upgrade the stadium, with the Jaguars continuing to play there with reduced capacity during the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
“Never doubt Jacksonville. That was my message in the summer to Mayor [Donna] Deegan, the Jacksonville City Council and our residents, and I am humbled and grateful that my fellow NFL team owners agree,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “… The venue will be world-class by every definition. It will impressively serve the Jaguars and their fans, attract major sports and entertainment events to our region, and serve as an economic catalyst for decades to come. It also means a new and vibrant Downtown Jacksonville that once may have seemed unimaginable will indeed come to life.
“I send my deepest appreciation to all who believed, and especially to everyone who did the hard work to make this happen. We have much more hard work ahead, but a lot to be proud of today. Celebrate!”
Joint Funding Secured with City of Jacksonville
The renovation, a joint effort between the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville, will see both parties contribute $625 million. Additionally, the city has agreed to spend $150 million over the next two seasons on maintenance to prepare the stadium for construction. This means the city will cover 55% of the total costs.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said that this deal will end the long-standing rumors about the team relocating.
“I clipped every article, I took note of every person who said that this was never going to happen,” Deegan said. “I remember Forbes came out with something that said there was no chance we were going to reach this agreement. So you betcha Jacksonville is a can-do city, as I said, and I want the people of this city to really start believing that because it’s true.
“… We are a city on the rise, and the Jaguars are a big part of that, and I can’t wait to take that victory lap.”
Upgraded Features and International Game Plans
The upgraded stadium will feature a canopy over every seat to lower temperatures by 15 degrees, similar to Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. It will seat 63,000 for Jaguars games, with the ability to expand to over 70,000 for larger events like the annual Florida-Georgia game. The Jaguars will continue playing in the stadium with reduced seating during 2025 and 2026 before relocating for the 2027 season while construction is completed.
“We have a lot of work to do on that decision,” Jaguars president Mark Lamping said on where the team will play in 2027. “I anticipate that it’s going to take us at least through the end of this regular season to have a really good handle on it, that at that point we’ll have a recommendation and then we have to work through the NFL. We haven’t done just surveys with our fans. We’ve done surveys with our fans, we’ve done surveys with our sponsors, we’ve done surveys amongst our employees. One of the most important constituents is our football operations. We have a good feeling on what they want to do, but we’ve also had ongoing discussions principally aimed at Gainesville and Orlando.”
New 30-Year Lease and Non-Relocation Agreement Signed
The Jaguars signed a 30-year lease with a non-relocation agreement, as part of the deal, ensuring the franchise stays in Jacksonville long term. The agreement also includes a clause allowing the team to play up to six home games internationally over the next three seasons, with a maximum of three in 2027. Starting in 2028, the Jaguars will be limited to one home game in London per season, unless required by the NFL to participate in an additional international game every four years.
“We have no commitments [to play multiple international home games yet]. That’s just to set a maximum,” Lamping added. “Then in 2027, when we’re not playing in Jacksonville, it was important to us that we had some lever if we run into scheduling difficulty in the stadium we’re going to be playing. We don’t know where we’re going to be playing yet, and that lever that we have if we run into scheduling problems could allow us to play up to three games in 2027. Those are just limits. That is not what our plan is at this point. And I’m sure those plans will be released when they’re done.”
The Jaguars have been playing annual home games in London since 2013, except during the 2020 pandemic season. This year, they’ve already played a road game in London and will host the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
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This report used information from ESPN.
