LONDON, England — “It was ridiculous. It was insane.” Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan responded with those words to Action Sports Jax when asked about the Monday Night Football win over the Kansas City Chiefs a couple of weeks ago.
The sold-out and frenzied crowd is part of the vision of the Stadium of the Future when it opens in 2028. The Jaguars will have to give fans something to be “insane” about, but the hope is that the new venue will be an electric atmosphere.
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The three-year renovation is strongly underway at EverBank Stadium, and everything is going according to plan in the early stages.
“Most importantly, we are on schedule, but it’s a complex project and there are surprises around every corner,” said Jaguars President Mark Lamping this weekend in London. “We have a good team that has the ability to be resilient and ability to make changes on the run. Things are moving.”
Khan has been hoping for cranes to fill downtown Jacksonville since the beginning of his ownership, and he’s getting it now. The stadium project is one construction site, and across the street is the building of a Four Seasons Hotel that will be owned by Khan.
“It’s really exciting. I think it’s something we need, and I think it’s going to be a huge economic engine for Jacksonville,” Khan said of the construction projects. “The city is investing in the betterment of Jacksonville. We want to live up to the potential.”
Lamping is no stranger to major sports projects. He was instrumental in the renovation of the old Busch Stadium and the building of the new Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals. He also led the MetLife Stadium project for the New York Jets and Giants, which opened in 2010. Now, after spearheading multiple projects in Jacksonville, Lamping is tasked with the $1 billion renovation of the Stadium of the Future.
“The focus is on delivering by the expected date, and that’s what we will do,” said Lamping. “There are some complexities because it is a renovation of an existing building, a building that was not well maintained, and you find things every day that you didn’t expect.”
The answer everyone is waiting for surrounds the topic of where the Jaguars will play football games in 2027. As Action Sports Jax reported more than a year ago, Gainesville and Orlando are the two options.
“There are 32 NFL teams and one NFL team, and their fan base is really interested in what is happening in 2027,” said Lamping with a smile. “I think we know how this is going to end, but we have to continue to go through the process. We’re doing that and hopefully will know sooner rather than later.”
The Jaguars had hoped to have an answer back in May at the NFL owners’ meetings, but now it looks more likely that approval from ownership will be in early 2026.
“I kept thinking we were going to hear several months ago, but we haven’t, and I guess they’re in continuing discussions; there’s no rush,” said Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan Saturday morning in London. “I don’t know what those discussions are; they just tell us it will be soon.”
The Jaguars and the league have plenty of time for a decision on the 2027 destination.
“We were pushing for an earlier decision just so we could cross this off our to-do list,” said Lamping. “It’s not a process we control; it’s one we contribute to, and the league is going about it at the pace they feel is appropriate, and it’s really not our position to question that.”
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