linky An elongated stay in England awaits the Jaguars in 2020.
For the first time in NFL history, a team will play two home games outside the United States as Jacksonville will play back-to-back games over consecutive Sundays in London at Wembley Stadium, the team announced on Tuesday.
"First, I want to make it clear that our first priority is winning, and anything we do or say away from that will never be more important than giving Jacksonville a team that wins and the community can be proud to call its own," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in the statement. "We are committed first and foremost to winning, and that commitment drives me and everyone at the Jaguars every day.
"We've also been honest about the importance of what playing games in London means to the vitality of the Jaguars as a franchise, and what a vibrant downtown means not only for the Jaguars, but for everyone who calls Jacksonville their home or maybe is thinking about coming here to live, raise a family, start a business or just spend more time here. I believe in what's possible for Jacksonville and am going to do whatever it takes to help the Jaguars and the City of Jacksonville to reach its full potential. What we plan for the 2020 season and maybe a bit longer is all about believing in what Jacksonville can ultimately become, all while continuing to further grow and develop partnerships and a fan following in London and throughout the UK that have turned out to be pretty remarkable."
Though the opponents have yet to be announced, the Jags will play two of the following: the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, [b]Cleveland Browns]/b], Detroit Lions or Miami Dolphins.
The Jaguars confirmed that their home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears will take place in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports it's not a permanent scheduling strategy, but is a bridge through the Lot J project, which is roughly $700 million, that will build up the area surrounding TIAA Bank Field. The two-game "home" stand in London could be just a one-year move.
As for season ticket holders, they will receive a 50 percent discount on preseason games and favorable pricing on a half-dozen regular-season games that will equate to an average ticket price reduction of five percent, the team said.
Jacksonville will continue its annual tradition of playing home games in London, as it's done once a season every year since 2013.
Overall, the Jaguars are 3-4 in English outings, having lost two in a row to eventual playoff squads -- the Eagles in 2018, 24-18; and the Texans in 2019, 26-3.
Announcement of the extended stay comes in conjunction with the team's ambitious plans for the development of Lot J next to TIAA Bank Field. According to the team statement, when completed, the first phase of the Lot J development will see a redesigned downtown Jacksonville experience that will include an entertainment district, residential building offering more than 400 units, a 200-room hotel and additional parking.
Per the team's release: "Playing home games in London will continue to be very important to the Jaguars during the transition period expected during the Lot J construction."
"This isn't about next season or the next few seasons in Jacksonville," Khan said, "but really about the next 10 years, 25 years and beyond."
NFL to play games in Mexico in 2020, 2021 seasons
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By Around The NFL staff NFL.com
Published: Jan. 29, 2020 at 01:40 p.m.Updated: Jan. 29, 2020 at 02:53 p.m.
Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Wednesday that the NFL will return to Mexico City for one game at Estadio Azteca during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
The date and time of the 2020 game along with details for the rest of the league's international slate will be determined in conjunction with the NFL schedule release this spring, the league said in a statement.
The NFL returned to Mexico in 2019 for a November Monday Night Football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers after a one-year absence. The 2018 Mexico game was moved to Los Angeles due to safety issues with the playing surface at Estadio Azteca.
"We had a great experience this past November down in Mexico," Goodell said during his Super Bowl LIV news conference. "It was just a great event and we loved being there. We look forward to being back and we are proud to be able to say we're going to be there for two more games over the next two years. Our fan base down there continues to grow and become more passionate. Our partners down there have been extraordinary and we want to continue that. We want to build on that."
The games in 2020 and 2021 will mark the fifth and sixth NFL games played in Mexico.
Arizona Cardinals could have home game in Mexico City in 2020, according to report
Bob McManaman, Arizona RepublicPublished 10:37 a.m. MT Jan. 30, 2020
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An ESPN report out of Mexico states that the Cardinals will play a regular-season home game this upcoming season at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. If true, it would be the first time the Cardinals have played a regular-season game there in 15 years.
The report comes from John Sutcliffe, an ESPN reporter who lives in Mexico City.
It follows an announcement from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday during a news conference in Miami that the league will return to Mexico for regular-season games in 2020 and 2021. Details as to which teams will play there this year and when it will be played, Goodell said, will be revealed in the coming months.
According to Sutcliffe, however, he said he has information that the Cardinals will be the home team for the 2020 game at Estadio Azteca, meaning Arizona will have just seven home games this season at State Farm Stadium.
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“This is what I knew. It won’t be New England against Miami. The information I have been able to confirm is that Arizona, the Cardinals, is going to play after 15 years again in Mexico as the home team,” Sutcliffe said on ESPN Mexico.
The Republic reached out to league sources but could not immediately confirm Sutcliffe's report.