Gene Frenette: Benefit of Jaguars two-year relocation outside Duval is reaching wider audience

When it comes to the Jaguars negotiating with the city of Jacksonville on a rebuilt TIAA Bank Field and lease extension, there’s no question fairly dividing the expenses for both sides on a project likely to exceed $1 billion should be the highest priority.

But along with those discussions, it’s also critical to expedite the process as quickly and efficiently as possible, plus not get too riled up over a potential relocation venue outside of Jacksonville.

Not that either party should rush into an agreement. But with owner Shad Khan and Jaguars president Mark Lamping ready to submit their game plan and mayor-elect Donna Deegan taking office July 1, there’s every reason to believe the negotiating process will begin around that time.

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How long reaching an agreement takes is important because, if it’s a continuous 30-month construction process from start to finish, the Jaguars and the city will likely want to begin putting a shovel in the ground as soon as the 2025 season ends. That timeline coincides with the end of a possible two-year option for both schools on the Florida-Georgia game.

That’s the best way to ensure the new stadium is ready for the start of the 2028 season, saving approximately $120-140 million by not doing a four-year, build-and-stop process in exchange for continuing to play games at TIAA Bank Field. Under the latter option, the rebuilt stadium wouldn’t be ready until the 2030 season.

Another issue being carefully watched is where the Jaguars would play if TIAA Bank Field is being renovated during the 2026 and ‘27 seasons.

While it’d be more convenient travel-wise to keep the Jaguars playing in Duval County, the reality is trying to stage NFL games at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida or the Baseball Grounds at Jacksonville involves way too much upheaval. It also makes little sense financially.

Lamping told the Times-Union last week that playing games at either Jacksonville venue would add more than $100 million in expenses due to enhancements to meet NFL requirements.

Those venues would require a massive makeover, never mind the challenge of expanding viable seating capacity much beyond 20,000 spectators.

Obviously, the better options are either 75 miles away at the University of Florida’s Ben Hill-Griffin Stadium or 140 miles away at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. FBC Mortgage Stadium on the UCF campus is probably worth exploring as an alternative venue more than any Jacksonville location.

As a bonus, it presents the Jaguars an opportunity to expand their brand to a wider audience, perhaps building the fan base outside of the standard five-county, First Coast area.

Travel inconveniences aside, playing games outside the 904 isn’t nearly as big a deal as the Jaguars and the city reaching an agreement on a stadium renovation. When that happens, it’ll be accompanied by a lease extension that would ensure the Jaguars remaining in Jacksonville through maybe 2050 or beyond.

In the grand scheme of things, that matters a lot more than the Jaguars potentially playing games out of town for two years. Plus, a rebuilt TIAA Bank Field will likely be the centerpiece of a neighborhood radically transformed by projects planned for the Shipyards and Khan’s Four Seasons hotel.

There’s rarely a perfect solution when NFL teams have to move home games. It’s also true that progress doesn’t come cheap, so the Jaguars and the city are better off reaching an agreement on a stadium renovation by the end of the 2023 season.

Beyond football, a better future for all of Jacksonville is riding on it. If that means traveling one or two hours for Jaguars’ home games on a temporary basis, that’s a small price to pay for keeping the team here for the next generation.

Oddsmakers reverse course on Jaguars

During the 2022 regular season, expectations were so low for the Jaguars that betting lines had them listed as favorites in only five games — twice against the Houston Texans, the Denver Broncos in London, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans at home. The Jaguars didn’t inspire betting confidence by losing three out of those five games.

But after the Jaguars rallied from a four-game deficit to win the AFC South last season, it’s obvious the belief in them has soared.

So far, the early lines for 2023 list the Jaguars as favorites in 10 games. Furthermore, of the seven games that Doug Pederson’s team is an underdog, five are only by one point — on the road against the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, along with home matchups against the San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

Jacksonville’s two toughest games, according to oddsmakers, are the home opener against the Kanas City Chiefs and in London against the Buffalo Bills. The Jaguars are 3-point underdogs against KC and 3.5-point ‘dogs against Buffalo.

It’s clear the national perception about the Jaguars’ prospects for 2023 are changing significantly. The betting lines set by oddsmakers confirm that trend.

NBA playoff trivia

Among the final 16 teams that made the NBA playoffs, which conference and college has the most players on those rosters?

Jay Fund record number

The recent Tom Coughlin Celebrity Golf Classic at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course and silent auction to benefit the Jay Fund — with money going to help cancer-stricken families on the First Coast — raised $924,000, which eclipsed the previous record by almost $100,000.

Among the big-ticket items for auction was a combination of a Hawaii getaway, along with dinner for eight people at the house of Hall of Fame offensive tackle Tony Boselli (running back Fred Taylor also attending). That prize went for $35,000.

The auction also offered a “Leadership Lunch” for four people at Jaguars training camp with head coach Doug Pederson, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, first-round draft pick Anton Harrison and Coughlin. The winning bid was $21,000, but Pederson stood up to announce the group would do another lunch and that sold for the same price.

Kelli Coughlin, Tom’s daughter and longtime CEO of the Jay Fund, was grateful for the record-breaking number, saying: “We were blown away by the generosity.”

Will LIV golf complicate Ryder Cup picks?

When it’s time for Zach Johnson to make his captain picks for the U.S Ryder Cup team, it’ll be interesting to see whether legitimate contenders Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson being members of the LIV Golf League impacts his decision-making.

Zach Johnson shouldn’t let his active PGA Tour membership dictate how he fills out the last two or three spots on the U.S. team for its Sept. 29-Oct. 1 competition at Marco Simone near Rome. Koepka’s runner-up finish at The Masters and DJ being an early contender at the PGA Championship, as well as both being part of the winning American side in the last Ryder Cup, gives them a compelling case to be on the team again.

Considering the U.S. hasn’t won a Ryder Cup on European soil in 30 years, Zach Johnson’s priority should be on picking the best players, regardless of tour membership.

Quick-hitting nuggets

Other than their trip to London for two games, the Jaguars have an extremely light travel schedule in 2023. According to Bookies.com, the Jaguars will travel 16,854 linear miles and cross a total of 16 time zones on their nine trips this season. There are 19 other teams with bigger itineraries, led by the Seattle Seahawks (31,600 miles) and San Francisco 49ers (29,958 miles), both of whom will cross 36 time zones. …

With quarterback Matt Ryan moving to the NFL announcing booth at CBS — signaling his retirement as a player without actually saying so — it’s going to be interesting to see how the Hall of Fame voters feel about his career. The 2016 league MVP finished with a record of 124-109-1 as a starter. Maybe he gets to Canton, but Ryan is by no means a slam dunk. Don’t be surprised if his Atlanta Falcons blowing that 28-3 Super Bowl lead to the New England Patriots proves to be costly to Ryan in more ways than one. …

Trivia answer

The Southeastern Conference has the most players on the 16 NBA playoff rosters (not including teams who lost play-in games) with 45, including a high of 17 among the Eastern Conference and Western Conference final teams. The ACC is second with 44 on playoff rosters. Kentucky has the most players of any school with 15 on playoff rosters, two more than Duke.

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540; Follow him on Twitter @GeneFrenette   

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Best interest of Jaguars, city is not prolonging agreement on stadium deal