NFL team confirmed 150-mile relocation with $1.4bn stadium project set to begin
The future looks bright for the Jacksonville Jaguars on and off the field.
Renovations of EverBank Stadium, which will host an NFL Wild Card weekend playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, are due to commence following the end of the season.
Despite staying put in 2026, albeit at a limited capacity of 43,500 as construction for the $1.4 billion ‘stadium of the future’ gets underway, the team will have to play at least one campaign elsewhere.
On the field, the Jags are hoping to make a splash with a postseason run before that happens.
Jacksonville Jaguars eye Super Bowl LX glory
Jacksonville and $275m franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence have been impressive this season.
They hold the AFC’s No. 3 seed having finished 2025 top of the AFC South with a 13-4 record.
Behind T-Law’s 4,000-plus yard season, and a bit of motivation from their AFC rival Denver Broncos, the Jags are dreaming of reaching Super Bowl LX.
The team would like nothing more than to return to EverBank Stadium in 2026 as world champions — even if they will need to leave again 12 months later.
Where could the Jaguars play in 2027 amid stadium renovations?
Having submitted a report to the NFL earlier this season on potential home sites for the 2027 season, it is expected that their temporary home will be in Orlando.
“The team has given the city confirmation it will play home games there in 2027,” an Orlando City Council member told News4JAX.
However, nothing is officially confirmed yet as NFL owners have to approve any temporary relocations, with the league and 75 percent of owners all it takes for it to pass.
Should these current relocation proposals for 2027 be accepted, then the Jaguars will make the 150-mile trip down south to Camping World Stadium, located in the West Lakes neighborhood of Downtown Orlando.
The arena regularly hosts the Florida Classic between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman universities.
It was also one of the nine stadiums used for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, has also hosted the NFL Pro Bowl on five occasions, including from 2017-20, and was used in the soccer Club World Cup too.
For Jaguars fans, this would be about a five-hour round trip from EverBank Stadium, but many are prepared to make the journey to watch their beloved team.
“It’s just two hours and I am a big sports fan, so depending on how good the game is, I would do the drive to go to Orlando,” one fan told WJXT4’s Ariel Schiller. “I would because it’s fun and why would you turn down that fun?”
“Listen, I am a Jaguars fan. No matter where I’m at, I’m watching and cheering along. No matter where they go, if I can get there, I’m going,” a second said.
It is uncertain yet how many home games the Jaguars would need to play in Orlando, with a possibility for the team to play up to three games in London in 2027, one extra than their usual two across the pond.
In 2024, the Jaguars announced that their stadium renovation project would keep the team in Jacksonville for ‘decades to come‘, with plans to make it a venue worthy of consideration to host a Super Bowl at some point.
What will the new EverBank Stadium look like?
However, Jags owner Shahid Khan — who boasts a $13.9 billion empire as he also owns English Premier League club Fulham — cannot see that happening any time soon.
“Obviously, you design a new stadium, you do it to meet all the needs,” Khan exclusively told talkSPORT in October.
“But a Super Bowl now has really graduated to a event where it needs infrastructure besides the stadium, hotel rooms, infrastructure, and so on, and Jacksonville doesn’t have that.
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“It does have the ability to host other NFL events, maybe the draft, and maybe some other elements, but the city will have to develop before we can be in the mix, but it’s a covered stadium, it’s in Florida, a lot of attributes, but it doesn’t qualify.”
The redesigned stadium is set to be open-air and will have a flexible seating capacity of up to 71,500 spectators.
It will feature a next-generation transparent canopy that will provide sun, wind, and rain protection.
The new building will also house widened concourses that will also offer panoramic lookout decks to give fans an upgraded game day experience.
Several NFL teams making major stadium decisions
Of course, the Jags aren’t the only NFL team making major stadium moves.
The Washington Commanders are returning to the District of Columbia after local legislators finally approved funding for a $3.8 billion arena on the site of the iconic abandoned RFK Stadium.
The Chicago Bears are also relocating to a new, $4.7 billion domed stadium, although fans have been left furious by the look and location of the project.
And the Kansas City Chiefs have also confirmed they are moving across state lines into a new $3 billion domed stadium.
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