Coming off their best season in nearly a decade, the Jacksonville Jaguars looked like a franchise finally turning a corner. They finished 13-4, won the AFC South, and posted a franchise-record 474 points under first-year head coach Liam Coen.
Now they are a legit contender with momentum heading into 2026. But while the W’s were stacking up on the field, an uncomfortable reality was taking shape off it.
Their postseason run ended in the Wild Card round, falling to the Buffalo Bills 27-24, and now the offseason has delivered a storyline that left many of the community scratching their heads.
They won’t be playing in Jacksonville in 2027. Because of stadium renovations, the Jaguars are moving their home games two hours south to Orlando.
Jaguars heading to Orlando after unanimous 32-0 NFL owners vote
In the middle of theJaguars’ roster overhaul, NFL owners just approved the Jaguars’ plan to play their 2027 home games in Orlando.
Donna Marathon Expo booths surround the Jacksonville Jaguars logo inside the Daily's Place flex field on Jan. 31, 2025. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]
Donna Marathon Expo booths surround the Jacksonville Jaguars logo inside the Daily’s Place flex field on Jan. 31, 2025. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]
During the annual meeting in Phoenix, all 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve the one-year move to Camping World Stadium while the team finishes a $1.4 billion renovation of EverBank Stadium. The upgrades, which include a shade canopy, wider concourses, and a new park, are expected to be completed by August 2028.
Jaguars will use the 65,000-seat Camping World Stadium. While they’ll play their home games two hours south in Orlando, the players will still live and train in Jacksonville during the week. Since the Jaguars can play up to three games in London that year, Orlando will likely host seven or eight matchups.
IT’S OFFICIAL! The #Jaguars are coming to Orlando in 2027. Shad Khan said it was a unanimous 32-0 vote from the owners
DUUUVAL IN ORLANDO pic.twitter.com/IFZ59oqJjq
— Daren Stoltzfus WESH (@DarenStoltzfus) March 31, 2026
Jaguars ownerShad Khan calledit the best possible scenario, saying the move couldn’t have happened without the league’s backing and special appreciation for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ support during the process.
Head coach Liam Coen was more measured, acknowledging there would be “challenges and stressors,” but adding he didn’t think it would derail the franchise. Their front office is framing it as a bridge year. For the fans, though, the bridge feels anything but painless.
NFL fans weren’t having it
Online reaction was immediate and mostly negative. For a fan base coming off an eight-game win streak to end the 2025 season, moving home games to a tourist-heavy stadium in Orlando feels like a step backward.
“Orlando Jaguars 🤢🤮,” one X userposted.
Another oneadded, “They’re still gonna be called the Jacksonville Jaguars and it’s only for one year.”
A third fanpenned, “Gross Orlando sucks a–.”
The fourthnoted, “Damn that sucks.”
One user cut straight to the relocation conspiracy,writing, “This is temporary until they relocate to London right?”
A random X userjoked, “I thought this was an early April Fool’s joke.”
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Announced on March 31, one day before April 1, the timing was perfect to crack such a joke. But the Jags are actually Orlando-bound, at least for a year.