Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly pick Orlando for 2027 Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly pick Orlando for 2027

Mike Bianchi, a columnist with the Orlando Sentinel joins FOX 35’s Garrett Wymer live via Zoom to break down his reporting of the Jacksonville Jaguars picking Camping World Stadium as their home for the 2027 NFL season while Everbank Stadium undergoes its massive renovations. The Jags’ top two choices were Orlando and Benny Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, also known as The Swamp to University of Florida Gators fans.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars are exploring temporary locations for the 2027 NFL season as TIAA Bank Field undergoes major renovations.

Orlando has emerged as a leading contender, according to some sources. 

What we know:

City officials and sports leaders say a proposal has already been submitted for the team to play home games at Camping World Stadium. 

According to Orlando Sentinel sports columnist Mike Bianchi, unnamed city and University of Florida officials have indicated the deal is essentially in place, pending formal league approval.

The timing of the formal decision could depend on the next NFL owners’ meeting, which will reportedly be held via Zoom in the coming weeks.

What we don’t know:

The Jaguars organization has not made an official announcement confirming Orlando as their temporary home, and the NFL has yet to approve the move. 

Details such as the number of games Orlando might host, potential ticket pricing, and logistical arrangements for players and staff remain unclear. 

The backstory:

The Jaguars’ home stadium in Jacksonville is scheduled for extensive renovations beginning in 2026, leaving the team without a venue for the following season. 

Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars

Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars

Orlando’s Camping World Stadium — which has previously hosted college football bowl games, neutral-site NFL matchups, and major entertainment events — has the infrastructure and capacity to accommodate NFL games, making it a logical choice.

What they’re saying:

It had previously been that the Jags were exploring playing in either Orlando’s Camping World Stadium or in Gainesville at the Universtiy of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, also known as “The Swamp.”

“Yeah, it’s awesome. The Jags are coming to Orlando in 2027,” said Mike Bianchi, sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. “Of course, that has to be rubber-stamped by the league. The next owners’ meeting, I think, is in a few weeks. It’s actually a Zoom meeting. So the Jaguars are hoping that’s where it will officially be approved.”

Allen Johnson, Chief Venues Officer with Orlando Venues, said the move would be transformative for the city. 

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“Obviously, a huge economic impact, not only for the Jacksonville fans coming down, but from fans coming around to watch the teams they play … so it’ll be exciting to have the Jaguars here.”

Orlando Citrus Sports released a statement supporting the plan: 

“We believe we’ve put forward a competitive package for Jaguars games to be played here during the 2027 season. Our community has consistently demonstrated its ability to successfully host major events, and this opportunity would mark an important new chapter for our city as a global sports and entertainment destination.”

Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond said each game could easily bring a million dollars of tourist development tax (TDT) money to Central Florida.

“That’s an example of what you could see come out of this. You could see those kind of numbers come just in tourist development tax collections, which, you know, obviously the more the better,” he said.

As for Gainesville, hospitality expert Rob Dellibovi said that the city wouldn’t be a good fit.

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“It has a beautiful stadium, obviously, but it just doesn’t have enough for 20 to 25,000 away team football fans coming to town and another 20,000, you know, home team fans coming to town,” he explained. “So it didn’t make a lot of sense in the beginning, but I think orlando is going to really succeed, because of this.”

Dellibovi said Orlando could easily use this as proof that Central Florida could have its own NFL team.

“If they could pull this off, they might award themselves a team in the future, which would be an enormous deal, obviously economically and for the city,” he added.

Local perspective:

If approved, hosting an NFL team — even temporarily — would mark a major milestone for Orlando, a city often mentioned as a potential expansion market.  For local businesses, hotels, and fans, the Jaguars’ arrival could turn 2027 into a big sports year for Central Florida.

The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL, Mike Bianchi, sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, Allen Johnson, Chief Venues Officer with Orlando Venues, Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond, and hospitality expert Rob Dellibovi.

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