The Jacksonville Jaguars need a new stadium temporarily, as the renovations for their current stadium, TIAA Bank Field will take them out for at least two seasons. The announcement was made official as they tweeted a video about the future plans for a revamped stadium that is projected to cost over $1 billion.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry told Jacksonville sports radio (1010xl) last month, “The team could play its home games elsewhere for two seasons…The goal would be to play somewhere in Jacksonville” for 2025 and 2026.
“Those discussions are happening, but two years is the goal. … I do know that they are considering certain sites that are local that could accommodate them for at least two years,” Curry added.
So far, the Jaguars have not been in talks with other cities in Florida and the closest option would be the stadium at the University of North Florida, which only holds up to 12,000.
A contingency plan for the team to relocate to their temporary stadium, so far, is proving to be somewhat challenging, as the two nearest football-dedicated stadiums are Ben Hill-Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, with 88,548 capacity, and Camping World Stadium in Orlando, with 60,219. Another stadium in Florida that could be an option could include Doak S. Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee with 79,560 capacity.
The other elephant in the room for relocation for the Jaguars would be Wembley Stadium in London, England, as Jacksonville already plays there twice a season anyway and it has the largest capacity out of the other options, holding 90,000. But relocating to another country for a whole season has its own problems in its own right, as a more local choice may be preferred.
The other reason why it might be tough for the team to stay in Jacksonville, but not in TIAA Bank Field, is that reconstructing stadiums to be used for NFL purposes would be costly.
But this is where the idea of the Daytona International Speedway hosting games for the Jaguars comes in, as the racetrack and Jacksonville are planning to speak about using it as a temporary home. Mark Lamping, Jaguar’s team president, acknowledged the idea as something they should consider.
“It would be an interesting solution, but would also require significant investment in terms of infrastructure,” Lamping said, per VenuesNow. “It can accommodate a big crowd. It would be a little wonky, but it’s worth considering. After the renovations (in 2016), it’s nice.”
In a statement released to NBC Sports, Daytona International Speedway president Frank Kelleher also acknowledged that the track could be home to the Jaguars for at least two years.
“Daytona International Speedway is a world-renowned sports and entertainment venue and hosts a full schedule of events each year,” Kelleher said. “As good neighbors in the Florida sports community, DIS will be speaking with the Jacksonville Jaguars to see if we can assist them with their potential upcoming facility needs around our scheduled events.”
This isn’t a first for Daytona, as the international speedway hosted four college football games from 1974 to 1975, and in July 2022, the speedway hosted a two-day international soccer tournament in the same infield.
Even if an agreement to use Daytona as a stadium is reached and approved for the Jaguars, scheduling will have to be rearranged somewhat, as the track’s race schedule, like NASCAR’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 in late August and the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in late January, overlaps with the NFL’s pre and postseason.
The Jaguars, after reaching the playoffs in 2022 with nine wins, will look for a new place to play during their new stadium renovations. Thanks to improved play from quarterback Trevor Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson, Jacksonville will look to having winning football in back-to-back seasons in 2023.
