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Rumors: Jacksonville Jaguars expected to extend London contract

By Luke Sims

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The Jacksonville Jaguars want to be the “home” team for London. As the NFL continues to show a commitment to playing games in the bustling UK metropolis, the Jags have continued to step forward as the team most willing to play there.

With the Jaguars’ current deal to play games in London expiring in 2016, it’s expected that the team will express a desire to expand its commitment sometime this year. While no formal commitment has been made, it is clear that owner Shad Khan believes that the extra exposure and consistent presence in the London will do good things for the Jags. I, for one, am completely on board with “sacrificing” a home game to be the team London supports.

The Florida Times-Union is the first to offer up the idea that Khan will desire extending the “home” games in London. They note:

"Because of his commitment to the NFL’s international efforts, Khan should get first dibs on playing the opening game at Tottenham’s new stadium in London (2018). The only rub — Tottenham’s capacity is 61,000; Wembley Stadium drew 83,559 and 83,603 for the two Jaguars games. That’s a big revenue difference."

Hopefully by the time the new Tottenham stadium is operational, NFL fever will have spread throughout the UK (optimistic, I know) and the Jaguars will have become considerably more popular in their second “home” market, continuing to drive interest in this NFL international venture.

The Jags have shown their commitment to expanding the NFL brand and their own in almost any way possible. From pool cabanas to fan-friendly stadium policies to sacrificing a home game to expand the brand, Khan knows how to drive the Jacksonville Jaguars up.

While the report is speculative a this time, don’t be shocked to see the Jaguars announcing another few seasons of one game in London in the future.

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