The Jacksonville Jaguars may have to play their home games elsewhere during proposed renovations to TIAA Bank Field. One of the options being considered is Daytona International Speedway, located 92 miles south of the Jaguars’ current stadium. DIS president Frank Kelleher stated in a release to The Daytona Beach News-Journal over the weekend that he and team representatives would meet soon to discuss potentially playing at the 101,500-seat facility. Jaguars president Mark Lamping has confirmed the potential meeting as well.
The team has released an early look at what it called the “stadium of the future” as part of a $2 billion project. The project also includes developing the area around the stadium, with the stadium improvements costing between $1.3 billion and $1.4 billion. Under the proposal, owner Shad Khan would split the cost of the entire project, but the city would pay a greater portion of the stadium renovations.
If the city and the Jaguars agree on a two-year stadium renovation plan, the Jaguars would be forced to play their home games elsewhere. The team has already had conversations with the University of Florida to use Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Orlando officials to use Camping World Stadium. Other potential sites include a nearby 11,000-seat baseball stadium that houses the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins and a 9,400-seat stadium at the University of North Florida. However, Lamping has stated that it would cost $125 million to add 20,000 seats to either facility to get them NFL-ready.
If the team and city agree to a four-year renovation plan, the team could still play its home games at TIAA Bank Field. However, Lamping has said that this would add an additional $190 million to the cost of the stadium renovations. The Jaguars’ lease with the city expires after the 2029 season, and the team is hoping to reach a deal with the city in March 2024 and present it at the NFL spring meeting for approval in May 2024. If that happens, construction could begin after the 2025 season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are considering playing their home games at Daytona International Speedway during proposed renovations to TIAA Bank Field. The team has also had conversations with other potential sites, including Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Camping World Stadium, but adding seats to these facilities would be costly. The team and city could agree to a two-year or four-year renovation plan, with the latter allowing the team to continue playing at TIAA Bank Field but at an additional cost. The Jaguars are hoping to reach a deal with the city in March 2024 and begin construction after the 2025 season.
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