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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Ten months ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars released renderings of what they dubbed the "stadium of the future," a $1.2-1.4 billion renovation of EverBank Stadium that includes adding a canopy to reduce the heat of the early-season games. The base 62,000-seat open-air stadium would have a main concourse four times wider than the current one, and lookout decks that offer views of the city. The stadium also would have the ability to expand seating to 71,500 to accommodate the seating requirements of the University of Florida and University of Georgia for their annual rivalry game in Jacksonville. And the additional seating would be used to help attract other potential sporting events and concerts. Since announcing the plans, the Jaguars have been negotiating with the city of Jacksonville on a tentative agreement for the renovation, a deal that will include a new 30-year lease and would end any relocation speculation. Team owner Shad Khan has never given any indication he wanted to move the franchise, and his personal financial commitment to the stadium and city in his 12 years as owner is a testament to that. As of January 2022, Khan had spent more than half a billion dollars of his own money in and around the stadium and in the community. When asked late last month on the progress of negotiations with the city, Jaguars officials declined to comment but did provide the following statement: "Our team is in contact with officials from the city of Jacksonville regularly and are satisfied with how the negotiations are going." However, several city officials have said they hope to have an agreement in place by the middle of next month so it can be vetted and voted on by the city council and then brought to the NFL this fall for final approval. "The timing that we're striving for is sometime in May," said Mike Weinstein, whom Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan hired to be city's chief negotiator in discussions with the Jaguars. "We don't feel like we have a time limit. We're doing it probably a little faster than most, but we'd like to get it done as quickly as possible and move on to the next stage." If that timeline holds, and 75% of the league's owners approve the deal at their league meeting in October, construction could begin following the 2025 season. Per Weinstein and Jacksonville city council president Ron Salem, there are six separate agreements that comprise the total agreement: the lease, community development, parking, security, stadium development and non-relocation. The city and the Jaguars have agreed on the 30-year lease, which would begin upon the completion of the stadium renovation. The current lease expires after the 2029 NFL season. Let's run through five important lingering questions surrounding the negotiations and potential agreement:
Who will be paying for the renovation?Khan will be paying a significant portion of the potential $1.4 billion renovation and has been aggressive in his desire to be a major part of improving and developing downtown Jacksonville, especially in the area around the stadium. Weinstein said the breakdown of the funding between the city and the Jaguars is still being negotiated.  As for how and where the city plans to get funds to pay for their portion of the stadium, Weinstein said that when an agreement is reached, he will provide the city council with multiple financing options, but the bond market is always a viable option. There is no state funding available to defray some of the cost, unlike what happened with stadiums in Nashville and Buffalo.
What does the deal mean for London games?Playing a home game annually in London remains a priority for the Jaguars, who have done so since 2013 (with the exception of 2020), because of the financial boost it provides. Revenue from previous London games at 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium have accounted for 11-15% of the franchise's local revenue. The Jaguars are in the final year of a three-year contract to play a home game at Wembley in which they have full responsibility for the game and oversee all operations. The team would like to continue this arrangement even after the stadium renovation. Weinstein and Salem confirmed there will be a London element included in the new lease but declined to elaborate on whether that limited the Jaguars to one home game there annually or to a home game just in the years in which the team has nine home games on the schedule (odd-numbered years). The Jaguars played two games in London in back-to-back weeks in 2023, but only one was considered a home game (vs. Falcons) in Wembley Stadium. They also played the Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Jaguars president Mark Lamping said in 2022 that the team had no plans at that time to play multiple home games annually in London and were not actively seeking to play a game anywhere else internationally but also stressed that London remains an important revenue generator for the franchise. "I think we have been pretty consistent in that, you know, in a perfect world for us we will always have a presence in London," Lamping told ESPN in Oct. 2022. "And we think that not only is that good for achieving our goals of a stable, strong NFL franchise that's located in a small market in Northeast Florida, it's also been good for the city of Jacksonville. Every year the city does a trade mission around our game and they've brought back hundreds and hundreds of jobs that have come from the UK to Jacksonville. That would not have happened had it not been for the introductions that we help facilitate and the work that the Chamber does. "We think London is part of our DNA, and I think it makes it a lot easier given every other year we have an extra home game."
Where would the Jaguars play during the renovation?Once the deal is presented to the mayor and the city council's vetting process is complete, the council will vote on the agreement. If the vote passes with a simple majority, the Jaguars and city can take it to the NFL in October, where it must be approved by 75% of the league's owners. If all that happens, the next hurdle is figuring out a timeline and where the Jaguars would play home games if they cannot use EverBank Stadium. When the Jaguars released the details of their proposed stadium renovations in July 2023, it included options of a two-year build in which the team would play its home games elsewhere and a four-year build in which it could still play its home games at EverBank Stadium during construction. However, Lamping said at the time that option adds an additional $190 million to the cost of the project. Since then, the sides have focused on a modified two-year approach: The Jaguars could play home games at EverBank Stadium in 2026 with a reduced capacity of 40,000-45,000, and then play home games in 2027 somewhere else. That isn't finalized yet, Weinstein said, because they don't have final details of whether that would impact the construction timeline. For example, would there have to be some aspects of the renovation that couldn't be done or have to be delayed until the offseason if the Jaguars were playing games there in 2026? Would there be safety concerns with the public gathering close to an active construction zone? "My concern [is] does it affect the quality of the end result? Does it affect the scheduling of the end result?" Weinstein said. "Because we want to be able to play [in the renovated stadium] in August of '28. ... So we've got to work through that. "Probably we're at 60% to do it just one year away. Something needs to really come up and bubble. Maybe the construction teams say, 'You know, it really does jeopardize the finishing product on time.' But we haven't had that presented to us yet. So we're thinking that it'll probably be one year away unless something comes up."
What are the Jaguars' alternative site options for 2027?Camping World Stadium in Orlando and University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville have emerged as the top options, though Daytona International Speedway, 121 Financial Ballpark (the nearby 11,000-seat baseball stadium that houses the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins) and Hodges Stadium (a 9,400-seat stadium at the University of North Florida) were also mentioned as possibilities. But Lamping said it would cost $125 million to add 20,000 seats to the latter two facilities to get them NFL-ready. A planned $400 million renovation to Camping World Stadium is scheduled to be completed before the 2027 season begins. And while UF doesn't have a timetable, the school has hired an architectural team that is beginning designs of a potential renovation to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, too. UF officials will have a better idea of the timing once those designs are submitted. EverBank Stadium also plays host to the annual rivalry game between Florida and Georgia, and Weinstein said both schools are on board with the renovation plans and are pleased with the proposed upgrades. The Associated Press reported that the schools are exploring other neutral sites for the games in 2026 and 2027, and the city would like to bring the game back to Jacksonville in 2028. The Gator Bowl may also have to move for one season but could play in the stadium following the 2026 season.
So will the deal ultimately be reached?Weinstein and Salem both praised the way the negotiations were being conducted with the Jaguars and Lamping, and both were optimistic an amenable deal could be reached. "I think the key to all this is clearly everybody wants this to happen," Salem said. "It's just a matter of hammering out the specifics. I want the team [here]. Of course, Mayor Deegan wants the team here. I think the Jaguars want to stay here. I don't think there's any question about that. "We built a beautiful practice facility that's second to none. [Khan] has the Four Seasons across the street [that's being built]. Eventually we will have a development outside the stadium, hopefully similar to what the [Atlanta] Braves have [outside Truist Park]. ... I think they see the future and everybody wants to be a part of it."
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