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.
On Saturday, Lamping was unwilling to talk too much about what the Jaguars have in mind, what the project could cost, and how it’ll be paid for. He and Jaguars owner Shad Khan were an agreement on one thing, though: the stadium needs something to protect fans from the sun in a way that’s more expansive than the shades put over the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.
“To have a [stadium] solution that doesn’t put shade on all the seats, we’d be failing our fans,” Lamping, via the Times-Union. “As an aside, there’s not shade on all seats at Hard Rock. The visiting side is incredibly hot. That Hard Rock solution wouldn’t work for the Jaguars.”
According to the Times-Union, the renovation is expected to be in the $600 million-$1 billion range.
