NFL ‘used’ $8bn franchise to boost international footprint in decades-long deal set to end

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ tenure of playing regular season games in London may soon be coming to an end. The AFC South outfit have just returned to Florida after two weeks in the UK, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles with a walk-off field goal from Cam Little , before falling to division rivals Houston Texans in the exact same fashion seven days later . The Jags have played 15 NFL regular season games in London since 2013, and have faced 13 different teams during that time due to owner Shahid Khan – who also owns Premier League club Fulham – signing off on a multi-year deal to play overseas. In turn, this has allowed Jacksonville – who are now valued at $8.05 billion per Forbes – to grow their international fanbase via exposure and other activations. However, with the Jags currently undergoing a $1.4 billion stadium project ‘of the future’ , currently on course to open in time for the 2028 season , team president Mark Lamping hinted that the team are perhaps done playing in London. The Jags will vacate EverBank Stadium entirely in 2027, setting up some 150 miles south at the 60,000-seater Camping World Stadium so that construction can be completed. Once they open for business in 2028, though, it makes sense that they would want to play all of their home games in their new venue. “If there’s a natural year where you probably want to play every home game in Jacksonville, it would be the year you open a new stadium,” Lamping said. “Jacksonville’s such a great home for us, and I think that the international games have been really tremendous,” chief football strategy officer Tony Khan added on Jacksonville Sports Radio. “We’ve had a lot of success in them—built a great international base But certainly, Jacksonville is the home, and with the Stadium of the Future, I know that’s going to be the big emphasis for us.” During the latest episode of Inside the NFL, talkSPORT’s senior reporter Brian T. Smith discussed these comments and made the argument that the league and Jags used each other to gain exposure and build an international fanbase . NFL ‘used’ Jaguars to expand internationally “The NFL basically used the Jaguars to expand the international footprint, and that is working and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Smith claimed. “They are the smallest market team. They struggle to host a Super Bowl . They were having stadium issues, attendance issues. They’re not the most popular team in the NFL. I have no problem with that whatsoever.” Inside the NFL host Will Gavin added, “It was a beneficial relationship for both [parties]. The Jags made a lot of money playing games at Wembley and built a fan base that they never would have built without doing it.” “And it’s worked,” Smith interjected. “It’s worked for the NFL. … The the NFL is truly international, truly global. “The Jacksonville Jaguars also used London to become bigger and to get the new stadium because there was always that tease. … Are they going to become the London Jaguars? Are they going to move to London? So, that’s a business relationship. That’s how the world works. “… But now they get their new stadium and its ‘Oh we have to, we’re going to be the Jacksonville Jaguars’. I’m going to tell you this right now, that is the smart move for me,” he continued. “And I’m just being honest. … The Jaguars, 20-plus years in, are still figuring it out. If I’m a Jacksonville resident, if I’m paying taxes, if I have an NFL team in my city, I don’t want to lose them. “I want to support them and I don’t want them going to London for two games a year. And that’s that’s just the honest truth.” Whilst it looks increasingly likely that the Jaguars won’t cross the pond in 2028, the team’s plans to play three international games in 2027 is also looking more uncertain by the day, with Khan revealing on Sunday that that possibility now looks “remote.”