Jaguars president says stadium improvements ‘sensitive issue’ but believes NFL team will stay in Jacksonville for decades

The Jaguars will be playing NFL games in Jacksonville for decades to come, believes team president Mark Lamping.

If progress continues in negotiations to improve the Jaguars’ EverBank Stadium, which requires $2billion in improvements, including $1bn in taxpayer contributions.

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Quarterback Lawrence led the Jaguars at Wembley and will do so again in Tottenham[/caption]

“I see us getting to a successful conclusion in Jacksonville for the simple reason that the interest of the city and the interest of the franchise are aligned,” Lamping exclusively told talkSPORT. “We both want to get to a win-win as it relates to insuring that the NFL stays in northeast Florida for generations to come.”

Lamping said that discussions about stadium improvements for the small-market franchise are not a new topic.

“We knew dating back to 2016 that we’re committed to Jacksonville,” he said. “And if we look at those things that have happened in other markets that have created issues, they generally revolve around an issue with the stadium and then no solution to that stadium issue.”

The discussion peaked last month when Lamping seemed to raise the question of whether the Jaguars will remain in their home city.

The Trevor Lawrence-led team is playing back-to-back games in London for the first time.

The Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 last week at Wembley Stadium.

Jacksonville (2-2) faces Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills (3-1) on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“If there’s a referendum, the ballot question should be: Do you want to keep the NFL in Jacksonville?” Lamping said in September, according to the Sports Business Journal.

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The Jaguars are playing back-to-back games in their home city away from home[/caption]

Jacksonville’s current stadium was built in 1995.

The Jaguars are seeking a major overhaul for the facility and its surroundings to remain sustainable in the NFL’s fourth-smallest media market.

“Look, if Jacksonville loses an NFL team, they’re never going to get another one,” Lamping said in September. “And if the Jaguars have to relocate from Jacksonville, those of us that went down there would have failed. OK? And none of us want to face that.”

The team president acknowledged this week that the Jaguars’ stadium has “pretty much reached the end of its useful life.”

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Jaguars president Mark Lamping is optimistic the team with remain in Jacksonville[/caption]

“We need to come up with a solution that will meet the needs of the community and meet the needs of the team and most importantly will meet the needs of our fans,” Lamping said.  

Lamping stressed that he continued to be optimistic that a successful conclusion will be reached, allowing the Jaguars to remain in Jacksonville for future generations.

“We’re progressing,” Lamping said. “It is obviously a sensitive topic. It’s in many respects not fully understood by all involved but that’s sort of par for the course.

“We have a stadium that is owned by the city of Jacksonville. You have a willing investor in the form of Mr. (Shahid) Khan and the Jaguars that are certainly willing to put hundreds of millions of dollars into finding a solution for extending the useful life of this city-owned stadium.”

On Sunday, talkSPORT 2 will bring you live commentary of the Jacksonville Jaguars vs the Buffalo Bills from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, followed by 11 straight hours of gridiron action live from 6pm.