The Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders are the only two NFL teams to relocate since 2016. If the Jacksonville Jaguars don’t get what they want, it appears the city could find itself without an NFL franchise in the future.
A recent poll conducted by the University of North Florida found that a majority of voters in Duval County are opposed to spending public funds to help construct a new stadium for the Jaguars and a sports district in the surrounding area.
The poll revealed that only 6 percent of Duval County residents would support a $1 billion public investment funded by taxpayers, which the Jaguars had proposed. In addition, 47 percent said they would rather the $1 billion in public funding go elsewhere even if it means losing Jacksonville’s NFL team.
Facing limited support from the public, Jaguars’ president Mark Lamping recently responded to the poll at the AXS DRIVE conference with a comment that suggests he is willing to pull the team out of Jacksonville.
“Do you want to keep the NFL in Jacksonville?”
Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping on possibly relocating the team if there’s no public funding
The Jaguars unveiled plans early this summer for their new stadium project, which already has an estimated cost of $2 billion. Club officials proposed a 50-50 split with the city, requiring each side to provide at least $1 billion in funding and cover whatever additional costs arise during the process.
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EverBank Stadium, the current home of the Jaguars, opened in 1005. While it’s not one of the oldest stadiums in football, it last underwent major renovations in 2016. Now, the Jaguars want to replace it with a state-of-the-art stadium that keeps pace with some of the best teams in the NFL.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry suggested in May that the Jaguars might have to play in another city for a few years so their current stadium could undergo major renovations. The team could be without a home from 2025-’25, but several temporary locations in Florida had been suggested as alternate sites for home games.
It’s clearly not what the Jaguars’ organization is looking for and months of insisting on Duval County residents providing $1 billion in funding for the stadium hasn’t been well-received. So, it appears the next step in the Jaguars’ playbook is threatening relocation. While owner Shahih Kahn ($12.2 billion net worth) could afford to fully cover the costs of a new stadium, NFL history suggests Jacksonville will eventually cave.