Evidently the city and the Jaguars are negotiating a significant renovation of TIAA Bank Field.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are inching closer to massive renovation plans for TIAA Bank Field, team president Mark Lamping revealed Saturday.
“We’ve been working through that process,” Lamping told the Florida Times-Union in an interview Saturday. “We’re getting to the point where we think we’ll have some potential designs and potential prices on those designs within the next couple months probably. At that point, we might be in a position to assess whether we have a viable solution or we don’t. We’re confident going forward because our interest and the city’s interest are aligned.”
The Jaguars have played at TIAA Bank Field — originally called Jacksonville Municipal Stadium — since the franchise’s inaugural NFL season in 1995. But the team’s lease at the city-owned stadium expires after the 2029 season, and the Jaguars say a major renovation is needed before they’ll sign any lease extension.
Two things to consider from our selfish standpoint. First, an upgrade of the stadium — and they’re talking about spending upwards of a billion dollars on it — means a nicer facility for Georgia and Florida fans than what we have at the respective home stadiums. Second, if the renovation this round follows history, it means the schools will have to move the game home and home while the work is being done. Kirby gets his recruiting wish, at least on a limited basis, and we’ll be able to see is there’s any substance behind his complaint about recruiting.
Definitely something to keep an eye on.
Get The Picture 
The Jags suck. I can’t believe they are in any position to demand anything from the city after all they have been given over years past. But, who cares? The NFL is boring and dead to me.
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It is amazing that cities fall for this over and over and over again. Call their bluff, let them leave.
I’m guessing the potential market for absolute ass NFL franchises is a lot smaller than the Jaguars would like to believe.
San Antonio? Maybe Portland? Orlando? All small markets with the exact same set of problems they currently face.
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London. They would go to London and play at Hotspur Stadium, likely.
Wouldn’t even have to change names. The London Jaguars is the most natural name possible for a team in England. You know, because of the car company.
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Eh, maybe? The travel is a nightmare though. They can’t play a schedule of only east coast teams.
Plus, you bring in exchange rate issues, European labor laws, a large swath of player who just won’t play for them, etc.
I know the Bills soured on Toronto for all those same reasons.
San Antone feels like the best fit, but that’s telling in itself.
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Exactly, this has been talked about already…
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I mean, St. Louis just got like $800MM out of Kronke so he could move the team to LA and 49er fans could take over their stadium….
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The Jags are a money making machine for Jacksonville..they would be crazy to let them walk.
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I tried to watch the Falcons yesterday and… even on TV you can feel how empty and lifeless MBS is when the Falcons play. It’s nothing like, say, United in their hey day or SECCG.
I’ve sort of come full circle on MBS, though, I’m no longer a fan.
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The stadium is fine, I don’t think it’s an issue one way or another. The concern I would have is whether an expansion would reduce capacity. That stadium, as it exists, is about as small as it can get and still host the game (and that includes temporary seats in the end zone on the river side). The Jags don’t need that many seats, though. I could see a renovation leaning into more luxury seating and less overall capacity. That might force the hand of the schools whether they want to stay or not (though I guess Florida could keep their home game there and give us a standard 10% of the tickets; kind of a win-win for their fans because they get more access to the game but will also have an always-valuable resale ticket in the years where we’re significantly better and the demand is on our side). However, if they ever want another Super Bowl, and you have to think a stadium renovation would include that expectation, they’ll need to at least keep the capacity expandable into the mid-70s.
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Damn, you beat me to it.
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Jax is never getting another Super Bowl. By all accounts, everyone hated it there.
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Not enough hotel rooms by a long shot. Cruise ships had to be brought in fill the need.
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That’s because people who go to the Super Bowl ain’t smart enough to go to Amelia/SSI instead like we are.
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Hotel rooms and restaurants were both an embarrassment to the league. It will never happen again.
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Amen, Gatriguy. I had a discussion with a Jacksonville resident before the Jacksonville Super Bowl. He thought the city’s inventory of Outbacks and Carrababas was sufficient for the Super Bowl visitors. My response was that Fortune 500 CEOs don’t want Bloomin’ Onions.
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Snorted an LOL there, Gaskill! Got coffee up my nose now. Smells better than JAX
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Interestingly, we tailgated right next to the Maxwell House plant this year but with the wind direction, the area around the stadium DID NOT smell like coffee this time around as it normally does.
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The announced crowd during the game was a little under 76,000. The renovation on the west side of the stadium parking lot looks like it’s already started. They removed most of lot P and construction was happening during pregame.
If we go to a single set of home and home games now is the time. Let Kirby and his Georgia grown wrecking crew go hang a 60-0 on the swamp score board.
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The other big piece you forgot Senator is that most new NFL stadiums and stadium renovations result in SMALLER stadiums.
How will that impact the Cocktail Party. Can’t think it would be a welcome subtraction for Georgia or Floriduh regardless of how much money the city wants to fork over in a new deal.
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Do upgrades include better traffic ingressand egress and better parking? Probably not since the team won’t make a such money on stuff the ticket buying fans need.
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Getting out was easy again this year. The gators had long head start home. Getting in not so much.
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Getting in wasn’t that bad this year. Now where we were parked was easily the loudest tailgate I have ever attended.
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For what it’s worth, the renovations of the Bay Street/Gator Bowl Blvd/Hart Bridge corridor made our egress as painless as it could be. We didn’t sit in any traffic whatsoever after the game leaving from Lot X.
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Last thing anyone cares about is a nicer stadium. We have malls everywhere just make the game good.
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Stadium is already nicer than either GA or Fla’s home field.
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Lolwut
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“we’ll be able to see if there’s any substance behind his complaint about recruiting.”
I have no doubt Kirby’s complaint is legitimate. I just don’t think it’s worth changing venues permanently.
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Just curious why it would mean a home and home unless it is a permanent move. The last time the stadium was unavailable was BEFORE the Jaguars started playing. This time, they will have to do it during the offseason or else find the Jaguars somewhere else to play. Where would that be?
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That’s a good point.
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They would probably play there home games in either Orlando/and or England.
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Athens and Gainesville?
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LOL! Post of the day!
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From the article, it sounds like the goal would be to build shade/cover for the entire seating area, cause it gets to hot and sunny. Guess Shad(e) is unfamiliar with two of the main reasons people flock to Florida…. That sounds like it would be a waste of $600MM-$1B if you ask me.
As others have said, it is already nicer, roomier, easier to navigate than Sanford Stadium, is actually set up to sell concessions in a semi-efficient manner, etc.
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What they really need to do is make it so the stadium rocks and the girders bend.
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Then they’re really gonna have to rebuild the place!
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Bring back the leaking piss troughs of the Gator Bowl
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I figure CKS knows what it takes to recruit. However, one home game doesn’t seem like a good measure compared to years of home games. Though I do expect one home game to matter some. Why not just say as a fan, you want it in Jax no matter the cost to recruiting?
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What better recruiting tool than point to empty stands?
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The stadium is fine, I had a great experience on Saturday just as I always have there. The sightlines are good from every seat I’ve had there, and the concessions were fast even at halftime. The only reason the Jags are talking about renovations is because they want to add revenue generating facilities like luxury suites and all that garbage. For the purposes of football, it’s fine.
The only thing that could change my tune on the Cocktail Party is if they start talking about domes and retractable roofs, though, there’s no need for that in Jacksonville, Florida and there’s no need to play Georgia-Florida indoors.
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Considering his own personal experience and then given a one time opportunity, what are the chances Kirby would dream and scheme for hanging a half-a-hundred in the Swamp?!
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I’m guessing it would be a 100% chance that he would give it a shot.
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What I’m reading is that we’re moving the WLOCP to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after his contract ends?
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I thought the stadium was pretty bad, but it might be where we were sitting–on the south endzone. I think the seats were temporary and it seemed like we were walking through construction to get to those seats.
I really don’t like the town around the stadium. Really long walk through rough neighborhood to shitty bars/restaurants. I liked Jacksonville a little better when you could at least go to the landing afterward. Maybe it would be good if they put some money in and around the stadium.
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Jax knows we ain’t ever coming back after the conference rids divisions & reshuffle SEC travel schedules and add 12 team cfp post season expansion. Texas may not play the Red River shootout in Ft Worth again either.
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