JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars are working to shorten the amount of time they would play outside Jacksonville during a potential $1.4 billion stadium renovation.
Team president Mark Lamping has a proposal that would reduce the number of seasons the Jaguars are away from EverBank Stadium from two years to one.
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It’s a significant change that should help ease some external angst regarding a pending project that would tie the team to one of the NFL’s smallest markets for decades.
Lamping first spoke about the idea with Action Sports Jax Sports Director Brent Martineau. Watch the full interview below:
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“While it’s not final, we think there is the likelihood of a solution where we’d only have to be away for one season,” Lamping said. “That would answer a lot of questions because that becomes a little more normal. That’s what the (Chicago) Bears did. That’s what the (Minnesota) Vikings did.
“We’ve got some preliminary pricing. It’s a little more expensive than being away for two years, but it’s not exorbitantly more expensive. We think it’s probably reasonable. It’s still just a concept right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we have something to share with the city the next time we sit down.”
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The city and the Jaguars are scheduled to resume negotiations on the downtown makeover soon, with major Donna Deegan saying she would “like to get this done sooner rather than later.”
“I’d like to get this past us and move on to other issues that are important for our city,” Deegan told The Florida-Times Union this week.
Deegan also suggested that playing one home game a year in London — something the Jaguars have made clear they don’t intend to budge on — would not be integral to negotiations.
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“I just don’t think it’s that detrimental for the city to have that game where people can see Jacksonville from another place,” Deegan told the newspaper.
The Jaguars unveiled conceptual designs for their “stadium of the future” in June. The proposal includes a 62,000-seat, open-air stadium under a translucent covering that’s the equivalent of “wearing shades in the sun.” The venture still requires approval from Deegan and the city council.
The Jaguars proposed a 50-50 financial contribution model similar to ones that worked in getting a $45 million amphitheater built next to the stadium in 2017 and a $120 million practice facility that opened in July.
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Although the city would be on the hook for the majority of the city-owned stadium costs, a substantial development to the surrounding area would bring the total project to roughly $2 billion. Jaguars owner Shad Khan would pick up most of the cost on the surrounding area.
Lamping hopes to get approval by next spring so the Jaguars can make a formal presentation to NFL owners in May.
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