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LONDON (AP) -- Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence cited London’s “history and the feel and charm” on Sunday after a dramatic victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I feel like we have a strong connection and tie to London,” Lawrence said. “We’ve been playing here for a long time. Who knows if that will change?”
Indeed, it’s quite possible it could.
The Jaguars said before the season that they’re going to “totally reevaluate” their London strategy. Their economic motivation to play in London each year -- usually at Wembley Stadium like they’ll do Sunday against the Houston Texans -- will decrease when their stadium renovation in Jacksonville is complete, expected in time for the 2028 season.
Under owner Shad Khan, the Jaguars were early adopters of the NFL’s international push and started playing annual games in the British capital in 2013. Khan also owns London-based Fulham in the Premier League.
Jags fans in the U.K. are hoping the team doesn’t disappear.
They’ve supported them through the lean years -- until 2025, the Jags had never brought a winning record to London.
But now, expectations are sky high.
“We’re totally bought in,” Scottish fan Keir Robinson said Sunday before kickoff at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the Jags beat the Eagles 19-17. “What Liam Coen is doing just now is incredible. This is our time. I think we are playoff-bound, could be Super Bowl-bound.”
Robinson and his wife, Julie, took a 7 a.m. flight from Edinburgh to London for the game.
As for the future?
“If they were here every second year, that would be big for us,” he said. “If they never come back, five years down the line am I still a Jags fan? I don’t know.”
Another fan, John Rawson of Dorset in southwest England, added “it would be a shame” if the team changed course.
The Jaguars have not made any announcements about their long-term future in London.
Any potential big changes might not take effect until 2028, when their stadium is complete. The Jags will move most of their home games to Orlando next season, when they’ll still have the option of playing three home games in London.
Team President Mark Lamping told the team’s flagship radio broadcaster during the preseason that “our commitment to London is year to year” and that it’s time to “totally reevaluate our London strategy.”