Why Giving the Jacksonville Jaguars a new Stadium is Great for the NFL
Photo via The Athletic
We have roughly had this website for three months and I have yet to write any story about my beloved Jaguars. You can all thank the city of Jacksonville for that, as the release of that new stadium design got the juices flowing again. The initial reaction was one of hope, shock and awe by those who are “in the know” and saw the designs. And like with any Jaguars post, it was also met with jokes and venom of people who mention “that’s not London” or “for your twelve fans”.
Those people are ignorant, and just have absolutely no idea what’s going on farther than they can see. As NFL fans, we see how constantly the shift is from being good to bad and vice versa. Other than Hockey, Football has the biggest year to year turnover, which is great for the league. It’s not often that players or coaches come along that can stabilize a franchise for years to come. Those types of things don’t happen everyday. In today’s NFL, the names that come to mind are Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen - all those players have stabilized their teams into being perennial playoff and Super Bowl contenders. As of a couple of weeks ago, the Buffalo Bills broke ground on their new NFL stadium, which will make its debut in 2026. And we typically love watching all these players play.
But the Jaguars? They aren’t allowed to be good. They aren’t allowed to be great. They are the butt of every joke, so if we can’t make fun of them, then who will we, as a collective fan base make fun of? The Lions, Browns and Jets all have playoff aspirations this year. The perennial bottom feeders aren’t “fun” anymore because they can actually complete. So we are supposed to make fun of who…The Patriots, Colts, Raiders, Packers? teams with rich histories and Hall of Fame players in the rafters. No, that’s not allowed. The bad teams always need to be bad to maintain the status quo.
So why is it “great” for the NFL for the Jaguars to get a new stadium? What does that mean for their long term future in Jacksonville? I’m glad you asked. Let’s switch sports for a second. I wanna travel to the NBA for a second. Back in time to 2009 and 2013 - when the Warriors and Bucks respectively drafted Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokoumpo. The Warriors were playing in Oakland, and the Bucks in Milwaukee - and neither team was taken seriously. Small market teams with little no chance every year because no one wanted to play in those cities. They didn’t have the bright lights of New York or Los Angeles; or the beaches of sun that Miami has; or the undying loyalty that cities like Boston, Philadelphia and Houston have. Milwaukee…Oakland. No one cared. But players come along and transform the game. No one has more than Steph since Michael Jordan.
We fast forward to today and the Golden State Warriors franchise is now one of the top organizations in NBA history. They also got a new arena - now closer to San Francisco, and they are a top attraction in the league for players and fans alike. Steph did that. Over in Milwaukee, Giannis led the Bucks to the title just two years ago and the small city of Milwaukee is now revered as one of, not if the toughest place to play in all of the NBA. Players want to go play there. Giannis did that.
Parity is good for a league. Players wanting to go to small cities is good for the sport. It keeps teams, fans and cities engaged. It gives other cities hope that it can one day happen to their city. Their team. Their player. If the cities of Milwaukee and Oakland can achieve greatness, then there is no reason that Jacksonville can as well. The plans for this new stadium comes on the heels of the Jags going from 4-7 to winning the division at 9-8 and pulling off one of the top three comebacks in NFL postseason history. It wasn’t a coincidence that the city released the plans after this season.
The NFL needs a new “New England Patriots”. It needs a new “Kansas City Chiefs”. Teams that had little to no history of success before those iconic players got there. We as a society thrive on seeing new teams rise up and take the mantle. We want the engine that never could to take down the Mad Titans. But we only want them to do it for a few years and then hand it off for another team. As the famous Harvey Dent said:
“You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Jaguars fans have been waiting since 1996 to find a franchise quarterback. A guy that can put the team on his back and go win a game if every one of his teammates was subpar that day. We liked Mark Brunell, but we fell in love with people who would never be considered franchise guys; David Garrard, Byron Leftwich, Blake Bortles - all three of these have mild success with this franchise and the fanbase thought they were the second coming because they just had a taste of it. And the same thing has happened this off-season. Trevor Lawrence rose from the dead last season after fans had given up on him, analysts and experts gave up on him. And like a phoenix he rose from the ashes after his return from London and led the Jags to the playoffs. He just clocked in at number six on Chris Simms QB rankings for this season (if you’re into that sort of thing). This was the same “expert” who ranked Zach Wilson ahead of Lawrence when the 2021 NFL Draft was coming up. Stood by it and shouted it to the rafters after their rookie seasons. Wilson wasn’t on Simms 2023 Top 40, for those wondering.
This one seems like it’s gonna stick though because of the talent and the drive this kid house. He has the right coach as well, as Doug Pederson has transformed a franchise who was thought of as the gum on your shoe after the Urban Meyer debacle, into a well-respected franchise who even has made Trent Baalke look good. This is a franchise where its fans wore clown outfits to the last game of the 2021 season in protest to the owner, and now the GM has a clown toy on his desk to remind him and where he was before (courtesy of The Hunt on Youtube).
It seems like a truly phenomenal turnaround, almost too good to be true. And time will tell if the Jaguars are for real and will become perennial playoff contenders. But this new stadium signifies that the NFL is ready for the Jaguars to have a seat at the table. The lowly Jaguars getting their opportunity. Everyone who's a fan of the NFL should be rooting for the Jags, because it is truly a symbol that any team can overcome the highest of adversities. If the same franchises won consistently, then what’s the point? Where is the return on the investment? That’s where all the “this is rigged” comes from. We want the little engine that could to get to the top. This stadium proposal seems like a doorway for Jacksonville - and if they are able to walk through it, then good things will happen for this franchise.
And they absolutely deserve it. Every single fanbase deserves to climb the mountain and experience what it’s like to be on top. Personally, I never have. Between the Mets, Knicks and Jaguars, it seems like I may be doomed forever. But there is a hope that comes with a new stadium. A hope that you belong and that something, even if it seems insignificant, is aligned for once. We all see what’s going on in MLB with the Oakland Athletics. It’s not something that any commissioner, fan or player want to be a part of. It’s hard to watch and it’s a disgraceful scene to be completely honest. But I do feel that’s what is on the horizon for the city of Jacksonville if this plan doesn’t get approved. This is it. This is the moment where the tide can turn, and the city of Jacksonville has the fate of the Jaguars in their hands.
Trevor Lawrence, Doug Pederson, Calvin Ridley, Tyson Campbell, Christian Kirk, Travis Etienne, Josh Allen, Travon Walker - those are a few names of a young core that is ready to thrive. And these players are excited about this. Do yourself a favor and go check out the Jaguars Twitter retweets from the announcement video, and you will see what they players think. Those guys want to be in Jacksonville. They want to be a part of something special. The same way that the players in Golden State and Milwaukee did. Those teams built for a few years before they broke through. And now…well, I don’t think those franchises will have any problems for a long time, even post Steph and Giannis. The Jaguars have that opportunity in front of them now. Trevor Lawrence, Doug Pederson and Shad Khan have that opportunity in front of them right now. The city of Jacksonville has that opportunity in front of them right now…
They just need to go and take it.
Video created by Jacksonville Jaguars
