The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to be nearing a massive renovation of TIAA Bank Field. According to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, that project will likely force the Jaguars to play elsewhere for a couple years.
“Best case scenario, I expect that the renovation will take two years, two seasons,” Curry said Wednesday on 1010XL. “The team will have to play somewhere else. The goal would be to play somewhere in Jacksonville. Those discussions are happening. Two years is the goal.
“I know that [the Jaguars] are considering certain sites that are local that could accommodate them for at least two years. … The goal is to play those games in Jacksonville. I know they care about that.”
No deal is currently in place for the renovation, although negotiations between the city of Jacksonville and the Jaguars are ongoing. In October, the Florida Times-Union reported that the price tag for the project is expected to be in the $600 million-$1 billion range.
Curry, whose term as mayor ends on July 1, said that he doesn’t expect a deal to be wrapped up before the next administration takes over. He also said that the renovation will make TIAA Bank Field look like “a brand-new stadium” and that 2025 and 2026 are likeliest to be the seasons when construction takes place.
Any deal between the mayor’s office and the Jaguars will also need to be approved by both the Jacksonville City Council as well as the other NFL team owners.
While Curry says the Jaguars hope to play games at an alternate site in Jacksonville, there aren’t many options. Even if the team hopes to follow in the Los Angeles Chargers’ footsteps by playing in a tiny stadium (the Chargers played in the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park for three seasons), there’s no facility aside from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville even close to that size.
