NFL owners approve Jacksonville's $1.4 billion 'stadium of the future' set to open in 2028

abcnews.go.com:

NFL owners have unanimously approved Jacksonville’s $1_4 billion “stadium of the future."

NFL owners unanimously approved Jacksonville's $1.4 billion “stadium of the future” Tuesday, a decision that should keep the Jaguars in one of the league's smallest markets for at least another 30 years.

With the Jags (1-5) getting ready to play the second of back-to-back games in London, NFL owners essentially ended decades of speculation about the franchise being a potential relocation candidate.

“Actions speak louder than words,” owner Shad Khan said. “And I think we're going to have some real action.”

Twenty-four of 32 owners were needed to approve the project at the league's fall meetings in Atlanta. It was considered such a rubber-stamp situation that Khan and team president Mark Lamping were allowed to skip the meetings and avoid 12 hours of travel from London to Atlanta and back.

The Jaguars didn't anticipate much pushback even though the 55-45% financial split — with the city on the hook for the majority of the deal — is higher than most NFL owners contribute to new or renovated stadiums.

“I’m gratified but not surprised,” Khan said. “We’ve been working on it for a long time. We’ve talked to all the owners one-on-one. Obviously, (commissioner) Roger (Goodell) has been highly supportive, a big part of it. I think it’s great to get to this point.”

Each side will pay $625 million toward the $1.25 billion project. Jacksonville, which won’t levy any new taxes to fund its part, will chip in another $150 million in deferred maintenance to get EverBank Stadium ready for construction.

Pre-construction work is scheduled to start in February. The Jaguars expect to play in front of a slightly reduced capacity in 2025, a significantly