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Posted: 7:54 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011

A look at the Jaguars future in Jacksonville

By Matt Augustine

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —

Wayne Weaver said during his press conference Tuesday that he turned down multiple offers before agreeing to sell the Jaguars to Shahid Khan because he wanted someone to take over the team who would be committed to keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

Shahid Khan said in a statement that his goal is to bring a Super Bowl title to Jacksonville.

Yet, there are still some in Jacksonville, fans and experts alike, who would say that the Jags are bound for Los Angeles, or another city that might provide more fertile ground for a new owner to rebuild a franchise.

There is no provision in the sale agreement that requires Shahid Khan to keep the team here, but the Jaguars lease on Everbank Field doesn't expire until 2027.  But leases can be broken.

"Khan paid $760 million for a team in Jacksonville.  That same team in Los Angeles would be worth probably twice that," says WOKV legal analyst Mark Rubin.  "So if he had to pay a few million dollars in damages to the city of Jacksonville in exchange for doubling the value of the Los Angeles Jaguars, then that would be a very small price to pay for moving the team."

Others aren't convinced that the move will be so simple.  UNF President and former Jacksonville mayor John Delaney drafted the Jaguars lease with Everbank Field as the chief of staff for then-mayor Ed Austin.

"He [Austin] wanted to make sure the Jaguars were in town to pay off the bonds on the stadium construction."

Delaney says for Khan to move the team he'd have to make the lease payments for the next 16 years.  The real factor in keeping the Jaguars here, he says, is the fans.  Delaney says the Jaguar faithful need to come out in full force to show Khan that this city loves its football team.

"If we're only selling twenty or thirty thousand tickets, well that team is going to go and they should be able to go."

Khan will be in attendance for the Jaguars upcoming Monday Night Football game where they take on the San Diego Chargers.

 
 
 

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