For the first time in two years, Jacksonville is hosting a primetime game at EverBank Stadium, where the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars will take the field before a national TV audience on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”
But it could be another three years before the next regular-season primetime game at the downtown stadium.
That’s because renovation work is underway on the Jaguars’ $1.4 billion “Stadium of the Future,” which will reduce the stadium’s capacity in 2026 and force the team to play outside of Jacksonville in 2027.
Approved a year ago by NFL owners, the renovation plans call for a number of upgrades to the 30-year-old stadium where the Jaguars played their first-ever regular-season home game on Sept. 3, 1995. The upgrades include a protective, transparent canopy covering; wider concourses; more communal spaces; more seating options; and new technology to enhance the game-day experience.
The work is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 NFL season.
Here’s what to know about the Jaguars stadium renovation plans, including costs, the planned upgrades and what it means for the Jaguars’ schedule in future seasons.
Are the Jaguars moving out of Jacksonville?
No. NFL owners in October 2024 unanimously approved a $1.4 billion plan to renovate EverBank Stadium into Shad Khan’s “Stadium of the Future,” keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville for the next 30 years. Jacksonville City Council had approved the package in June 2024.
“Today’s vote at the league’s meeting was a vote for Jacksonville,” Khan said at the time. “The NFL believes in Jacksonville. I believe in Jacksonville, and I know our fans and the people throughout the community believe in Jacksonville. So now we’re about to make magic happen in Jacksonville.”
The new stadium will have a capacity of 63,000 for Jaguars games and an expansion to 71,500 seats for the annual Florida-Georgia football game. The current capacity at EverBank Stadium is 67,838.
Who is paying for the Jaguars new stadium?
Jaguars owner Shad Khan is slated to pay $625 million of the stadium’s $1.4 billion price tag. Jacksonville taxpayers are on tap to pay $775 million for the renovations. Khan would foot the bill for any cost overruns.
In addition to the stadium renovations, the package also includes a $300 million community benefits agreement. The city and Khan will split the costs of the community improvements 50/50, leaving taxpayers with a total bill of $925 million and Khan with $775 million.
Will Jaguars new stadium have a roof?
Yes. The renovated Jaguars stadium would have a roof fixture that will protect fans from the two harshest elements in Florida weather: the glaring sun and the pouring rain.
The protective, transparent canopy “will reduce radiant heat within the seating bowl and concourses by 10-15 degrees over direct sunlight,” according to a summary on the Jaguars’ website. The protective covering would also allow the stadium to host events, including concerts and other sporting events, year-round, regardless of weather conditions.
Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, has a covering to protect fans from the sun, but the playing field is uncovered. Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is completely open to the elements.
Will the new Jaguars stadium be air-conditioned?
No, but it shouldn’t have to be. The exterior of the stadium would be wrapped by a “first-of-its-kind” reflective material that will provide an energy-efficient façade, the Jaguars said in 2023. The reconstruction would also open up the four corners of the building to create breezeways that would circulate air throughout the stadium.
Peter Broeder, design principal for architectural firm HOK, said the project will remove a large amount of the seating bowl “in a surgical fashion” for those four breezeways. The team said the material used in constructing the building would cut heat retention by 70% and lower temperatures by as much as 15 degrees.
What other upgrades are planned at EverBank Stadium?
In addition to the protective canopy, the renovation plans to EverBank Stadium call for the following, as described by the Jaguars:
What is the progress of the EverBank Stadium renovations?
Earlier this month, the Jaguars unveiled the first milestone in the construction of the “Stadium of the Future” project: Grand Staircase One.
The new staircase, one of four planned for the stadium’s corners, is located in the southwest corner of the facility. The staircase landing, which required enough concrete to fill 96 cement trucks, represents the width of the stadium’s planned wider concourses, giving fans a small preview of the improved stadium.
When finished, each of the grand staircases will be flanked by escalators, the Jaguars said.
Where will the Jaguars play in 2026?
The Jaguars plan to continue playing at EverBank Stadium in 2026, with a limited capacity of about 43,500 in 2026.
Where will the Jaguars play in 2027?
That’s yet to be determined. In the final scheduled year of stadium construction, the Jaguars will play all their games outside of Jacksonville.
Jaguars President Mark Lamping said the team has been doing surveys of fans, team sponsors, employees and the football side of the Jaguars’ operation about their preferences. Possibilities include Camping World Stadium in Orlando and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, home of the Florida Gators. They could also play more games in London.
NFL owners would have to approve the team’s alternate home plans.
What is the Jacksonville Jaguars’ London agreement?
The Jaguars, the NFL and Wembley Stadium have had agreements for Jacksonville to play at least one game per season in London, England, since 2013. After playing two games in London each of the last three seasons, the Jaguars will play just one London game in 2025, against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Oct. 19.
The Times-Union reported a year ago that part of the Jaguars’ agreement with Jacksonville included a provision that would let the team play up to six home games in London from 2025 to 2027 during construction of the new stadium. It would also allow the Jags to play three games in London in 2027, when the team is set to play all of its games outside of Jacksonville.
Are the Jacksonville Jaguars moving to Daytona Beach?
One possible temporary home for the Jaguars was Daytona International Speedway. The large infield in the middle of the race track would have been more than big enough for the playing field, said speedway president Frank Kelleher, while temporary grandstands could have gone up around the field and along Pit Road. The track had previously held football games, hosting high school football games in 1959 and Bethune-Cookman college football games in the 1970s.
However, the Jaguars opted not to share a venue with the Daytona 500. “Once our need for a temporary stadium changed from two seasons to one, we chose to focus exclusively on existing NFL-ready stadiums,” Jaguars spokeswoman Lyndsay Rossman said in an email to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “The Daytona (International) Speedway represented a very intriguing option for the Jaguars had we been looking for a temporary home for two seasons during the construction.”
Do the Jaguars have a pool at their stadium?
The Jaguars host the only pools at an NFL stadium, which were installed as part of a 2014 renovation at EverBank Stadium. And yes, they are going to be part of the new renovation plans.
Contributing: Demetrius Harvey and Tom Szaroleta, Florida Times-Union; Clayton Park, Daytona Beach News-Journal
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars stadium getting a $1.4B makeover. Here’s a look at what’s coming
Reporting by Gary T. Mills and David Bauerlein, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
