ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando, get ready. The biggest show in American sports is about to storm into town — and this time it’s not speculation, not rumor, not wishful thinking.
It’s reality.
It’s THISCLOSE to happening!
The Jacksonville Jaguars have made their decision on where they’ll spend the 2027 NFL season during the $2 billion renovation of EverBank Stadium. And despite the team’s cautious approach about releasing the information, the news is already spreading inside the league, on college campuses and within Florida’s political circles.
The Jaguars are coming to Orlando!
As Jaguars radio voice Frank Frangie likes to exclaim after the Jags score a touchdown: “How good is that?!!!”
They haven’t announced it yet because they can’t — not officially. The NFL owners still need to vote on it, a procedural hurdle that seemingly exists only on paper. But make no mistake: this is just a formality and a technicality.
The Jaguars wanted to get the approval process wrapped up at the NFL’s just-completed owners’ meeting, but the league had other priorities. As Jags team president Mark Lamping told me earlier this week: “As far as the league is concerned, I don’t know that they put as much of a priority on this as we would like them to. We wish the time frame (on the decision) would be earlier, but that’s because our fans want to know and the people in Orlando want to know.”
Translation: We know where we’re going, we’re just waiting for the league seal of approval.
And where they’re going is clear — straight down Interstate 95 to I-4.
How do we know? Because both Orlando officials and University of Florida officials have already been notified. One UF source put it to me even more pointedly, and with unmistakable finality:
“The Jaguars won’t be playing here. They’ll be playing in Orlando.”
That’s as definitive as it gets without an NFL logo on the press release.
Yes, the Jags and UF will continue discussing the possibility of perhaps playing an emergency game in Gainesville — a contingency plan in case Camping World Stadium is occupied by another event. But the decision has been made. The landing spot is chosen. And it’s the one that makes the most sense by every conceivable measure.
The most likely factor in the Jags’ decision is stadium availability. The Jaguars have been told that Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — the Swamp — is set to begin its massive $398.5 million renovation in April 2027. While the Jags could conceivably still play at the Swamp in 2027, the exterior of the stadium will likely be in various stages of demolition, construction and chaos during the window when the Jaguars need a temporary NFL-caliber venue.
Even if UF weren’t renovating, sharing a stadium with a big-time college football team is an immediate logistical migraine. Weekend conflicts, locker-room issues, field maintenance battles — the NFL isn’t signing up for that.
Meanwhile, Orlando’s Camping World Stadium will have already finished its own $400 million facelift — a project that will give the venue a modernized, NFL-friendly infrastructure.
Then there’s everything else — and Orlando checks every box in bold marker:
— The biggest TV market the Jaguars have.
— The biggest U.S. media market without an NFL team.
— A tourism, hospitality and transportation machine built for high-volume events.
— Hotels. Restaurants. Nightlife. Airport. Easy access.
— A football stadium that would belong entirely to the Jaguars for an entire year.
If you think the league office doesn’t salivate over planting the NFL flag in Orlando for a season, think again. The owners know the value of testing markets, even temporarily. They know the power of expanding footprint, eyeballs and influence. Orlando, already crowned by Sports Business Journal as America’s Best Sports Business City, is an irresistible market for the league to showcase itself in.
And, if you ask me, this isn’t just a one-year lease. This is an audition. A demonstration that Orlando can seamlessly host NFL operations — team, fans, broadcast, logistics, security, game-day, etc. This is what Las Vegas did with major events long before the Raiders arrived. This is how markets evolve from “major event city” to “major league city.”
And just imagine the 2027 season in Orlando. Seven or eight regular-season NFL games, including games against the Tampa Bay Bucs and Miami Dolphins, lighting up downtown — and maybe even some playoff games. Who knows? By then, Trevor Lawrence might finally be living up to his potential in leading the Jaguars’ Liam Coen-coached offense to greatness.
For one spectacular season, Orlando becomes an NFL town. And don’t underestimate the optics. When the nation tunes in on Sundays, they’ll see NFL football in Orlando — not because of a Pro Bowl sideshow, but because of actual, meaningful, playoff-implicated games.
And the league will take note.
Sports tourism is no sideshow; it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry. Orlando understands this. Orange County understands this. It’s why county leaders cleared a $10 million sports-incentive package for the Jaguars earlier this year — because they know hosting the NFL for a season isn’t a novelty.
It’s an economic engine.
It’s hotel nights, restaurant revenue, national exposure and high-value visitors.
It’s a chance to show billionaire owners — the ultimate decision-makers in American sports — that Orlando isn’t just a city of theme parks and conventions.
It’s a sports capital in waiting.
If Vegas can reinvent itself with sports, why can’t Orlando expand its reach the same way? We’ve already proven our ability to host bowls, championships, world-class soccer, major concerts, WrestleMania-level spectacles.
This is how cities get noticed.
This is how cities get taken seriously for future teams.
This is how cities get into the conversation for baseball, neutral-site NFL games, and maybe one day, a permanent NFL franchise.
The league hasn’t voted yet, but the decision has already been made.
The paperwork isn’t stamped yet, but the message is out:
Orlando will be the Jaguars’ home in 2027.
Now it’s just a matter of time before the league makes it official.
We’ve spent months talking about this opportunity. Positioning and fighting for it.
Now the end zone is in sight. The ball is inside the 1.
The Jaguars are coming!
The Jaguars are coming!
Now let’s show the team and the league that they are making the right call.
