REVEALED: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell discussed Jaguars’ $2BILLION stadium proposal with Jacksonville city officials ahead of MNF game
- Goodell met with Mayor Donna Deegan and City Council President Ron Salem.
- Earlier this year, the Jaguars released renderings of the proposed stadium.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was reportedly in Jacksonville ahead of Monday night’s game between the Jaguars and Bengals to push city officials on the city’s proposed $2 billion stadium.
According to Florida Times-UnionJacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and City Council President Ron Salem met with Goodell before kickoff to discuss a potential stadium partnership.
In June, the Jaguars unveiled renderings of the proposed TIAA Bank Field, which has a futuristic look in the heart of Jacksonville.
The stadium concourse will be four times larger than the current EverBank Stadium, with a capacity of 62,000 people (expandable to 71,500) per year. Front office Sports.
Under one proposal, the Jaguars and the city would each split $1 billion in costs. However, closing the deal proved more difficult.
Roger Goodell met with Jacksonville officials to discuss the Jaguars’ $2 billion stadium proposal.
The Jaguars presented renderings of the new stadium and offered to share the costs with the city.
Jaguars president Mark Lamping previously had to walk back comments that were characterized as threats to move the franchise if the stadium deal was not completed.
“If Jacksonville loses an NFL team, they’ll never get another one.” Lamping said in September. “Do you want to keep the NFL in Jacksonville?”
Inviting Goodell to talk with officials could be a strategic move by the Jaguars to speed up negotiations. A spokesman for the mayor told the Times-Union that the city still has several months to go before reaching an agreement.
The Jaguars joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1995 and have resided in 67,814-seat Everbank Stadium ever since.
As a team, the Jaguars have won four division championships after eight playoff appearances.
At 8-4, the Jaguars currently lead the AFC South standings. However, their season may have taken a turn for the worse after franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence sprained his ankle in a loss to Cincinnati.
The Jaguars have five games remaining this season, starting with Sunday’s matchup with the Cleveland Browns.