Big Cat Country
Per reports, the group of 32 NFL owners will decide in October where Jacksonville will play during the 2027 season. Orlando or Gainesville?
With stadium construction currently underway at Everbank Stadium, many Duval County Jaguar fans have questioned where the Jacksonville Jaguars would call their temporary home during the 2027 NFL season. Jaguars Team President Mark Lamping, in March, advised that the NFL ownership group would evaluate this decision in May, with the group of 32 initially set to discuss this matter at the May 20th Spring League Meetings in Eagan, Minnesota. However, per multiple recent reports from the Orlando Sentinel and News4Jax, this decision will now be delayed until October.
Both Orlando and Gainesville have submitted bids to host the Jaguars in 2027. Orlando's Camping World Stadium, home of the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games, and its pending $400 million in upgrades are also offering an enticement, via Jonathan Lundy of News4Jax.com:
In April, Orange County commissioners voted 6-1 to approve investing millions of dollars to attract WWE, UFC, and the Jaguars to Central Florida. A decision on where the Jaguars would play in 2027 was expected in May, but it is now delayed to October. Orange County’s bid includes $10 million paid to the Jaguars and an additional $500,000 for up to two home playoff games.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (IE: 'The Swamp'), home of the University of Florida Gators would be the potential site should Gainesville be the chosen option. However, per the Orlando Sentinel:
Both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County said this week they hadn’t offered an incentive deal, though an Alachua spokesman didn’t rule it out.
Jaguars spokesperson, Lyndsay Rossman also confirmed the report to the Orlando Sentinel, stating the following:
"The 2027 location proposals are still under review by the Jaguars and NFL staff. Once this review is completed, the recommendation will be considered by the appropriate NFL ownership committees, and if approved, brought forward to a vote of all NFL owners. It is our expectation that the matter will be considered at the NFL Owners’ Meeting in October.”
Next year, during the 2026 season, Jacksonville is currently scheduled to play at Everbank Stadium, in front of a reduced capacity of approximately 43,500 as the upper decks will be closed for construction.
OnlyGators.com pretty clearly laid out some of the pros and cons of each stadium choice in their piece here.
Gainesville is located 75 minutes from Jacksonville with a stadium capacity of 88,548. While The Swamp is an iconic venue, there is no parking infrastructure and sharing a field with the Gators could create nightmares both logistically and for the turf crew. Florida Field has never hosted a professional football franchise.
Orlando is located more than 2 hours away with a stadium capacity of 88,548. While Camping World Stadium is not a notable venue, it has better parking infrastructure and no full-time tenant. It has also recently hosted professional football as the home of the...
