JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars will play a second home game in London in 2020, owner Shad Khan and team president Mark Lamping said on Tuesday morning.
The two games in London is a one-year plan only, Khan said, as the Jaguars wrap up the last of their multi-year contract for games there. Lamping said that the opponents have yet to be determined, but games against the Steelers and Bears have both been protected, and those will remain in Jacksonville.
The London games will come on back-to-back weeks, marking the first time an NFL team has done that, reports News 6 partner WJXT. Another point of emphasis on Tuesday: the Jaguars beginning the exploratory phases for what’s next for TIAA Bank Field.
Lamping said that the team and the city have begun the process to evaluate the stadium — updates, upgrades — which would take roughly 12 months. He thought that after planning and architectural oversight, the team and the city would have something to work with over the next 36 to 48 months.
“First, I want to make it clear that our first priority is winning, and anything we do or say away from that will never be more important than giving Jacksonville a team that wins and the community can be proud to call its own,” Khan said. “We are committed first and foremost to winning, and that commitment drives me and everyone at the Jaguars every day.
Khan and Lamping both cited revenue concerns, and the moves of three franchises — Oakland moving to Las Vegas and San Diego and Los Angeles both moving into the brand-new shared facility in Inglewood, Calif. — as reasons to look outside the box to bolster revenue.
The Jaguars’ plan to boost revenue at home, notably when the Lot J plans come to fruition, has a major tie to moving forward in London, Lamping said.
“We will be in a much stronger position [locally] when Lot J opens up …,” Lamping said. “I think it will put us in a position where we can step back and reevaluate what role London could and should play. I think that’s the time to do that evaluation."
Lamping said that prices for season ticket holders would go down by 50% for preseason games and 15% overall from what they paid in 2019.
An email sent to season ticket holders Tuesday explained the discount pricing.