The NFL owners on Tuesday unanimously approved the agreement between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville on a $1.4 billion renovation of EverBank Stadium.
Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2025 with the team playing in Jacksonville under a reduced capacity in 2025 and 2026.
“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!”
The Jaguars and the city have agreed to each contribute $625 million to the renovation, but the city also has agreed to pay $150 million over the next two seasons on maintenance and repairs to prepare the stadium for construction. That means the city will be responsible for 55% of the total cost.
The Jacksonville City Council voted 14-1 in late June to approve the deal, which also calls for Jaguars owner Shad Khan to be responsible for cost over-runs of the renovation as well as 80.4% of the game-day expenses.
The renovated stadium would be similar to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with a shaded canopy over every seat that would reduce the temperature by 15 degrees. Capacity for Jaguars games would be 63,000 but seating could be expanded to 70,000-plus to accommodate the annual Florida-Georgia game as well as attracting other potential sporting events and concerts.
The plan is for the Jaguars to continue to play in EverBank Stadium with a reduced capacity in 2026 and then play the 2027 season elsewhere. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville and Camping World Stadium in Orlando are the two options after the Jaguars eliminated the possibility of playing at Daytona International Speedway because of a lack of infrastructure.
In addition to the renovation, the deal between the city and the Jaguars also includes a 30-year lease that would begin once the stadium re-opens and a non-relocation agreement, which would put to rest the relocation rumors that have surrounded the small-market franchise for the past 15 years. There also is a clause that limits the Jaguars to one home game annually in London unless mandated by the NFL to participate in an additional international game once every four seasons – and that’s only during the seasons in which the team has nine home games (every odd year).
The Jaguars have played a home game annually in London since 2013 (except for 2020 because of the pandemic). They also played a road game in London in 2023 and were the road team last Sunday against Chicago. They play the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium in their home game on Sunday.
