Tag: EverBank Stadium

Report: Jaguars could limit capacity in 2026 during stadium renovation

The Jaguars are reportedly working on plans to play at EverBank Stadium in front of a limited capacity crowd in 2026 during renovation.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are working on plans that would allow the team to play at EverBank Stadium, albeit with a limited capacity crowd, for the 2026 season while a massive renovation is underway, according to a report from the Florida Times-Union.

If that plan came to fruition, EverBank Stadium would have a capacity of about 44,000 fans for the 2026 season and the Jaguars would play elsewhere in 2027.

“We would need to get comfortable that our fans would prefer that the games be in Jacksonville with a reduced capacity than perhaps being someplace else where there is greater capacity,” Jaguars president Mark Lamping told the Times-Union.

Initially, the Jaguars said the proposed project would require the team to either play two years in another venue or spend four seasons playing in EverBank Stadium while it’s under construction. It wasn’t until October that Lamping raised the possibility of the team leaving its home stadium for only one year.

Where the Jaguars would play in 2027 if the deal gets done remains to be seen. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Hodges Stadium at University of North Florida, and Daytona Speedway have all reportedly had discussions of some sort with the Jaguars about eventually hosting games. Lamping also mentioned Camping World Stadium in Orlando as a possibility in his talk with the Times-Union.

In June 2023, Lamping said that the team was hoping a deal with the City of Jacksonville for the renovation project would get done in spring 2024. Mayor Donna Deegan has seemingly been on the same page, telling the Times-Union in October that she’d “like to get this done sooner rather than later” and “move on to other issues.”

The price tag for the entire project proposed by the Jaguars — which includes turning part of the parking lot into an entertainment district — has been projected to come out to about $2 billion. The team said in the summer that it planned to ask the City of Jacksonville to pick up half that bill.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Jaguars vs. Ravens weather: Rain expected to clear for windy evening

It probably won’t be a rainy at EverBank Stadium, but there will still be plenty of wind from the overnight storm.

A large storm blew through Florida on Saturday night into Sunday morning, but it isn’t expected to make for a wet evening at EverBank Stadium when the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Baltimore Ravens.

The rain is forecasted to clear in Duval by the early afternoon, well before the Week 15 game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET.

What isn’t expected to go away is the gusty winds that have come with the storm. While a wind advisory is in place until 7 p.m. ET in Jacksonville, it won’t be gone entirely by kickoff.

The Weather Channel is forecasting it to be 57 degrees at kickoff with 16 miles per hour winds. Accuweather is predicting the same with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour.

Whether that’s enough to affect the game itself remains to be seen. No team in the NFL has more rushing yards than the Ravens and the weather gives even less reason to believe they’ll deviate from that plan in Jacksonville.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mike Caldwell: Crowd noise is a good thing, but we struggled with it

Mike Caldwell agreed with Doug Pederson that home crowd noise caused his defense trouble Monday night.

A few days after Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said the noise from the home crowd at EverBank Stadium created issues for his team’s defense, defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell echoed the sentiment Thursday.

“It’s the crowd noise,” Caldwell said when asked why the team had communication issues Monday. “It’s a good thing, as a defensive coach and as a defensive player, you want it to be as loud as it can be. We just have to do a better job of communicating. Getting tighter in the huddle, echoing the call, and go from there.

“You want the crowd as loud as it can be. It’s our job to communicate. We have to get in the huddle, get tighter, make sure we echo the calls, and get the call to everybody. It has nothing to do with crowd noise, it’s just us. We understand that it should be loud at home, it will be loud at home, and we just have to handle it.”

In a 34-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jaguars allowed 491 yards of total offense, the most of any game this season and more than any game last season too. Especially surprising is the fact that it came against a team led by Jake Browning, a quarterback making his second career start. The Bengals averaged 291.7 yards prior to Monday.

Jacksonville, on the other hand, returned all 11 starters from last season and had all 11 of those players active in Week 13.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Doug Pederson: ‘We haven’t played our best at home, which is crazy’

The Jaguars’ only two losses this season were at EverBank Stadium, which blows Doug Pederson’s mind.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won six games in the first eight weeks of the season, but only one of those victories was at EverBank Stadium.

“We haven’t played our best football at home, which is crazy,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday. “Those two early games that we didn’t play very well, those are all things that we have to do better. We’re playing in front of our fans, we’re at home, our stadium, our locker room. We’ve got to feed off the energy, obviously, from the crowd and play our best football.

“If you want that home-field advantage, or try to play for home-field advantage, you’ve got to do it at home. That’s why they call it home-field advantage. We’ve just got to focus in on that.”

The “two early games” that Pederson referred to were back-to-back losses against the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans in Weeks 2 and 3. Both of those games were at EverBank Stadium and still stand as the Jaguars’ only losses so far this season.

In Week 6, the Jaguars finally gave their home fans something to celebrate when they beat the Indianapolis Colts, 37-20.

With back-to-back home games coming up and five games at EverBank Stadium in the next eight weeks, the Jaguars’ performance in Jacksonville down the stretch will largely determine the way the rest of their season

As Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard astutely put it, “We need to win all our home games and we’re gonna go to the [expletive] Super Bowl.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Donna Deegan: Hopefully stadium deal framework will begin this month

Donna Deegan says the next meeting between city representatives and the Jaguars will “hopefully start to set a framework” of a stadium deal.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan says negotiators representing the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars have met just twice regarding a massive renovation of EverBank Stadium, but she’s hopeful their next session will begin the process of drawing up details for a potential agreement.

“The third meeting will happen sometime before Thanksgiving and hopefully start to set a framework for the agreement,” Deegan told Jim Piggott of News4Jax this week. “We’re still months away from this, Jim. Hopefully, after the next meeting we’ll start to get a framework and, hopefully by early spring, we’ll be having a better idea of what we’ve got.”

Earlier this year, the Jaguars laid out their vision for a huge project to reconstruct their home stadium with an expected price tag of about $2 billion. The team also said that it planned to ask the City of Jacksonville to pick up half that bill.

While Deegan has acknowledged that many voters aren’t interested in public money being used to fund the project, she’s also said that Jacksonville doesn’t have much of a choice if the city doesn’t want to lose the Jaguars.

Jaguars president Mark Lamping said in the summer that the team would ideally have a stadium deal in place next spring to present at league meetings. There are meetings scheduled for March 24-27 in Orlando, Fla. and May 20-22 in Nashville, Tenn.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Andrew Wingard: Win at home and we’ll go to the Super Bowl

As long as the Jaguars don’t lose any more games at home, they’ll play in Super Bowl LVIII, says Andrew Wingard.

All that stands between the Jacksonville Jaguars and their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl is a string of wins at EverBank Stadium, says safety Andrew Wingard.

The always-fired-up defensive back and special teamer was forced into the starting lineup Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of an injury to Andre Cisco. After a 20-10 win that included an interception by Wingard, he had a lot to say after the game.

Wingard, who snatched a Terrible Towel during the game and had postgame advice for the Steelers’ George Pickens, laid out the clear path to Super Bowl LVIII in an interview with Brent Martineau of Action Sports Jax.

“Isn’t this fun? Is this not fun? This is awesome,” Wingard said. “I mean, look at these freakin’ fans. We need to be selling out The Bank every damn week. We need to win all our home games and we’re gonna go to the [expletive] Super Bowl.”

That’s quite the statement from a player on a team that has now won five straight and is feeling great. It’s also — well — probably pretty true.

The Jaguars have five more home games (vs. 49ers, Titans, Bengals, Ravens, Panthers) on the schedule. At worst, the team would be 11-6 at the end of the year if it wins those games. That should be more than enough to win an AFC South that now has three teams below .500.

That’d mean at least one home playoff game in January and probably more, so long as the Jaguars don’t go 0-4 in their remaining road games (vs. Texans, Browns, Buccaneers, Titans).

The Jaguars are 2-2 in home games this season, although one of those wins was at their “home” away from home at Wembley Stadium in London. If the Jaguars run the table at EverBank Field, Wingard is feeling pretty good about their chances at playing for the Lombardi Trophy at Allegiant Stadium.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Donna Deegan on stadium deal: ‘I’d like to get this past us and move on’

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan wants to wrap up stadium renovation negotiations with the Jaguars sooner rather than later.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan isn’t interested in dragging out a lengthy negotiation with the Jacksonville Jaguars about a massive renovation of EverBank Stadium. She says that the sooner talks are completed, the better.

“I’d like to get this done sooner rather than later,” Deegan told the Florida Times-Union. “I’d like to get this past us and move on to other issues that are important for our city.”

Deegan, who was elected earlier this year and took office in July, has been adamant that she wants to reach a deal with the Jaguars that ties the team to the City of Jacksonville for the foreseeable future. She’s also acknowledged that there’s no solution that doesn’t include significant investment of public money from the city.

The price tag for the entire project proposed by the Jaguars — which includes turning part of the parking lot into an entertainment district — is expected to come out to about $2 billion. The team said in the summer that it planned to ask the City of Jacksonville to pick up half that bill.

A shortened timeline on the negotiations would probably be welcomed by the Jaguars. Team president Mark Lamping said in June that the team would ideally love to have a deal done in the second quarter of 2024 — allowing the team to get official approval at the annual owners’ meeting in May.

The Jaguars are negotiating with Sidley Austin LLP, a law firm hired by Deegan to represent the city in talks. Any deal reached would also need approval from the Jacksonville City Council, which hired former Jaguars executive Michael Huyghue to represent its interests.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Jaguars want to find stadium plan that forces team out for just 1 year

Jaguars president Mark Lamping says the team is trying to see if there’s a way to play one year elsewhere during renovation instead of two.

Earlier this year, Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping laid out two potential options for the renovation of EverBank Stadium. The team could either play two years at another venue — like Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville or Hodges Stadium at University of North Florida, perhaps — or four years at home during a lengthier and costlier construction project.

This week, he offered a third, more palatable option.

Lamping told reporters in London that the Jaguars are looking to “see if there’s anything we can do to maybe go from playing away for two years to just one year.”

“We don’t have that solved yet,” Lamping said, via John Oehser of Jaguars.com. “But we’re going to continue to do everything we possibly can to still get the stadium done on time and have it be the least disruptive as possible as far as our games in Jacksonville are concerned.”

The Jaguars have a lot of potential solutions for a temporary home, including even Daytona International Speedway, but there’s far from a perfect one. Gainesville and Daytona Beach are both more than an hour drive from Jacksonville. While Hodges Stadium is nearby, Lamping has said it’d cost “in excess of $100 million” to bring it up to NFL standards.

Playing away from EverBank Stadium for just one year, wherever that ends up being, would be a win for the Jaguars.

The first step, though, is reaching a deal with the City of Jacksonville on a renovation project in the first place. Any agreement with Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan will also need approval from city council and then 75 percent of NFL owners.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Donna Deegan says public money for stadium is a must to keep Jaguars

“80 percent say they don’t want to spend the money, 80 percent don’t want to lose the Jags. Those two things are simply mutually exclusive.”

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan knows there are plenty of taxpayers who aren’t interested in public money being spent on a massive stadium renovation project for the Jacksonville Jaguars. She also knows there’s not much of a choice if the city doesn’t want to see the team pack up and leave town.

“I think everyone wants to see this work,” Deegan said in an interview with Action News Jax. “I’ve had so many community meetings since I was elected and I hear over and over again: people don’t want to spend public money on the stadium. I know that the fans want it, I know some people don’t see the benefit of it. I see a lot of benefit from it: pride in this team and this city, relationships that we can build business wise.

“But the bottom line is 80 percent say they don’t want to spend the money, 80 percent don’t want to lose the Jags. Those two things are simply mutually exclusive so an agreement must be reached. Hopefully, we come up with one that we all are pretty pleased with.”

The Jaguars aren’t asking for a small amount in negotiations with the city. The price tag for the entire project proposed by the Jaguars — which will include turning part of the parking lot into an entertainment district — is expected to come out to about $2 billion. The team said in the summer that it planned to ask the City of Jacksonville to pick up half that bill.

Jaguars president Mark Lamping said in June that the team would ideally love to have a deal with the City of Jacksonville done in the second quarter of 2024. That would allow the team to get official approval at the annual owners’ meeting in May.

There are many hurdles to cross before the Jaguars get to that point, though. The team is currently negotiating with Sidley Austin LLP, a law firm hired by Deegan to represent the city in talks. Any deal reached would also need approval from the Jacksonville City Council, which hired former Jaguars executive Michael Huyghue to represent its interests.

The Jaguars have played in EverBank Stadium, originally called Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, since the team’s inaugural season in 1995.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Donna Deegan hires law firm to represent city in Jaguars stadium talks

Donna Deegan picked Sidley Austin LLP to represent the city in stadium renovation negotiations with the Jaguars.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is hiring Sidley Austin LLP to represent the city in negotiations with the Jacksonville Jaguars regarding a massive renovation of EverBank Stadium.

“After a comprehensive selection process and in accordance with the mayor’s desire to bring in an experienced, highly reputable outside law firm, we have chosen Sidley Austin LLP to represent the City in upcoming negotiations,” Jacksonville interim chief financial officer Mike Weinstein, the city’s said in a press release, via the Florida Times-Union.

Earlier this summer, the Jaguars revealed their vision for an overhaul of their home stadium, which would include a futuristic looking roof to provide shade while also allowing open air flow. The price tag of the project is expected to land at about $2 billion and Jaguars owner Shad Khan is hoping to split the bill evenly with the City of Jacksonville, which owns the facility.

In July, the Jacksonville City Council hired former Jaguars executive Michael Huyghue to represent their interests in negotiations.

There’s no established timeline for talks or a deadline for a deal to be reached. However, Jaguars president Mark Lamping told 1010XL that spring 2024 would “line up well” and allow the team to get final approval from NFL owners at league meetings in May.

The Jaguars’ lease with the City of Jacksonville to play games at EverBank Stadium runs through the end of the 2029 NFL season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]