The Jaguars are playing one home game a year across the pond in London until the calendar turns to 2020, but Shad Khan, Jaguars owner, said the franchise is committed to staying in Jacksonville, Florida, the NFL’s smallest market.
While the agreement by the Jaguars to play in London once a year until 2020 fueled speculation that they could eventually move there permanently -- and there are rumors the NFL is interested in having a franchise based in the U.K. – Jaguars president Mark Lamping said the lone London games each year are crucial to keeping the team in Jacksonville.
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"If the Jaguars lose our position in London it makes the Jaguars less stable in Jacksonville," Lamping said. "As local revenue goes so goes our stability in Jacksonville." Lamping also said that 12.5 percent of that revenue comes from the annual sojourn to Great Britain.
That means that the NFL is more likely to have a team in Las Vegas, than in London. The Raiders have been in talks with Sands Corp. CEO Sheldon Adelson about a potential $1 billion domed stadium near the UNLV campus. The NFL has been notoriously opposed to recognizing sports gambling, but commissioner Roger Goodell did not rule out Sin City when he appeared on The Rich Eisen Show.
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"Ultimately, it's the ownership's decision. It requires 24 of the 32 owners to approve any relocation to any market,” Goodell said. Gambling remained at the front of the conversation though. "Obviously, there are specific issues that would need to discussed in the context of Las Vegas.”
Whether or not it’s likely, there’s a better chance of that happening than London any time soon. The Jags will be playing there for the next four years, and the NFL is considering both more London games, or additional overseas tilts in either Mexico or Germany.
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