EverBank Stadium's $1.4 Billion Renovation: 42,465 Seats This Season, Orlando in 2027 and a New Stadium by 2028

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - EverBank Stadium is in the middle of the biggest construction project in its history, and Jaguars fans can see it every home game. Crews have removed about 20,000 seats, cranes ring the building and steel is going up for a partial roof, all while the team plays a reduced home schedule this fall. The $1.4 billion "Stadium of the Future" is scheduled to reopen in August 2028.

The project will remake the stadium the city built for the Jaguars' arrival in 1995. When it is finished, the building will have a canopy over the seats, concourses about four times wider than today's and new club spaces and suites. The city owns the stadium, and the Jaguars agreed to a 30-year lease with a promise not to relocate as part of the deal.

Who Is Paying for It

The cost is split between taxpayers and the team. The City of Jacksonville is contributing $775 million in public money and the Jaguars are paying $625 million. The legislation the City Council approved, Ordinance 2024-0904, totaled $1.45 billion and also included $56 million for riverfront parks and a flex field next to the stadium.

The final price is expected to come in higher. Jaguars president Mark Lamping said in February that the project would end up over $1.4 billion, and the latest building permits pushed construction costs past $1.33 billion. City Chief Administrative Officer Mike Weinstein told the City Council in December 2025 that the Jaguars will cover cost overruns that are not caused by city delays.

The largest single permit was issued on Feb. 27. It covers $696.5 million of work on an eight-level construction package of 652,735 square feet. The work is being built by a joint venture of Hunt Construction and Barton Malow.

2026: A Smaller Stadium

This season, the Jaguars are playing in a stadium about two-thirds its normal size. Capacity is 42,465 seats, down from 67,814, after the team permanently removed seats in the upper bowl and added temporary seating. The Jaguars are playing two preseason games and six regular-season games at EverBank, plus two games in London in back-to-back weeks.

Fans who have been to a game this year have noticed changes beyond the missing seats. The concourses are wider, new entry gates and a grand staircase are open, and the stadium lights were moved to the top rows while the roof is built. The team also cut concession prices, with popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, water and a 12-ounce domestic beer selling for $4.99.

Work stops around game days so the building can be used safely. Crews pause hours before kickoff, sometimes as much as 72 hours ahead, and return after the game. The Jaguars say crews have logged more than 1.5 million hours on the project so far.

2027: The Jaguars Move to Orlando

The stadium will be closed for the entire 2027 season. The Jaguars expect to play their home games that year at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, about two hours away, a plan that needed the approval of NFL owners. The roof structure is scheduled to go up in the first half of 2027, when no games are being played.

The team chose a single year away over a longer stay at home. Staying in the stadium for all of construction would have stretched the project from two years to four, according to the team, and fans told the Jaguars at 28 town hall meetings that they did not want to leave for two seasons. Giving up a home game for the London games also lets the team regain a home game in 2030.

The renovation affects more than the Jaguars. The Florida-Georgia game moved to Atlanta this year and will be played in Tampa in 2027, and it is scheduled to return to Jacksonville from 2028 through 2031. Other large events will also have to find other venues while the stadium is closed.

2028: What Fans Will Get

The finished stadium is designed for Florida's heat. The canopy is expected to cut radiant heat in the seats and concourses by 10 to 15 degrees compared with direct sun, and corner openings and a reflective exterior coating are meant to keep air moving and the building cooler. The field lights will eventually be built into the roof.

The stadium will hold just over 70,000 people for major events once it reopens. It will have four grand staircases, an expanded concourse that wraps the entire building, new field-level clubs, more private suites and all-new electrical, Wi-Fi and fire systems. The goal, Lamping has said, is a stadium that could host a Super Bowl.

The new building will look nothing like the old Gator Bowl site it replaced. "People won't recognize it," Lamping said in August. The target date for the reopening is August 2028, in time for the Jaguars' preseason.