NFL’s Jaguars and city of Jacksonville commit $1.4 billion to stadium renovation project

By Sam Joseph, CNN

(CNN) — The Jacksonville Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville have agreed to a $1.4 billion deal to push ahead with their “Stadium of the Future” plan, the city announced on Tuesday.

The agreement will see each side contribute $625 million to the project, which will see the Jaguars current home – EverBank Stadium – undergo wholesale renovations, per the city. The city will then spend another $150 million to get the stadium ready for construction in 2026.

The proposal, announced last year, still has to go through two key stages before it is officially given the go-ahead. Firstly, city council members will vote on the project in June, with a majority of 19 members needed for it to pass.

If that goes through, it would then be voted on at the annual NFL owners meeting in October, where 24 of the 32 owners would need to give the proposal the green light.

“It’s with great pride and excitement that we present this historic deal,” Jacksonville mayor Donna Deegan posted on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s a crucial step in the development of a thriving downtown which generates the commercial revenue that will fund so much of what we want to do in neighborhoods across the city.”

“Jacksonville has the privilege of being an NFL town and this deal will ensure our citizens can enjoy the benefits of that privilege for decades to come.”

The proposal would keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville for another 30 years and would come with a non-relocation agreement.

Construction would begin after the 2025 season, with the Jaguars playing in front of a reduced capacity in 2026, per the city. The team’s home games would then take place away from Jacksonville the following season while the stadium is renovated.

The Jaguars say that their plans “call for a reimagined stadium with an environmentally friendly and cost-effective structure that showcases state-of-the-art innovation.”

Among these innovations is a transparent protective canopy that provide sun, wind and rain protection and reduce heat retention by 70%, as well as a 360-degree concourse, “immersive” in-bowl digital and lighting technology and a subtropical nature park open year-round to visitors.

The agreement will still see the Jaguars play one game a year in London.

EverBank Stadium’s regular capacity of 67,814 will be reduced to around 63,000, though it can expand to 71,500 for special events such as concerts or college football games.

The Jags ended last season with a 9-8 record, finishing second in the AFC South behind the Houston Texans and missing the playoffs.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.