Jacksonville Jaguars to make Wembley return for one game each season until 2024
- Planet Sport writer
- 29 March 2022
The Jacksonville Jaguars will play a home game at Wembley Stadium for the next three years.
The Jags played at Wembley for seven successive NFL seasons between 2013 to 2019 but returned to England last year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following a Covid-enforced hiatus in 2020.
The Florida franchise will now return to Wembley and UK fans can see them return through to 2024 after it was decided at the NFL's Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida.
The team owner Shahid Khan - who also runs Championship leaders Fulham and had offered the FA £600million to buy Wembley before withdrawing - expressed his delight in securing the deal to return to the 90,000 capacity stadium.
"It's a great pleasure to be able to announce that the Jacksonville Jaguars will be playing one home game per season at Wembley for three further seasons.
"It's hard to believe it will have been three years since our last game at Wembley. But that changes this autumn, and we look forward to coming back to our London home.
"We have built a great fanbase already in the UK and I look forward to that increasing as we reaffirm our commitment to playing one home game per season in the UK for the long term, as was always the ambition when we first played in 2013."
The Jaguar's London return saw them defeat the Miami Dolphins 23-20 to secure their first win of the 2021 season, snapping a torrid run of 20 games.
"We knew if we got another chance, we were going to go win the game. That confidence is starting to build in our locker room."
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 17, 2021
Trevor Lawrence and Marvin Jones catch up with @Melanie_Collins after the @Jaguars win in London. pic.twitter.com/aDBGIpYGjr
Linder announces retirement
The Jaguars' Brandon Linder announced his retirement on Monday morning.
Linder - who served as Jags' captain for the last five seasons - joined the team in 2014 after being selected in the third-round of the NFL Draft.
In eight seasons with the Jaguars, Linder started 88 of 129 possible games. The 3-year-old has thanked fans for making him feel like 'a family member'.
Long-time #Jaguars center Brandon Linder announces his retirement pic.twitter.com/Va4BYrl7mw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 28, 2022
"To the city of Jacksonville: Eight years ago, you welcomed me like a family member and have continued to support me unconditionally," Linder said in a statement.
"I have grown to love this city, where I have put down roots with my family, made lifelong friends, and cultivated my passion for the outdoors. After much reflection, I have realized that the man I currently aspire to be is no longer aligning with the person I must become to play this game. It is at this time that I have decided to close this chapter of my life and retire from the NFL.
"I started playing football when I was seven and I have always played with my whole heart for the opportunity to win. I have spent most of my life sacrificing my body, mind, and time in order to fulfil my dreams.
"To my team-mates, I want to thank you for sacrificing yourselves entirely to the sport. The experiences that we have gone through together is why the brotherhood that we have created is so special. I will miss that the most. I am grateful to be able to fulfil my goal of retiring a lifetime Jaguar. Jacksonville will remain my home.
"I am excited to chase new dreams and I'm looking forward to all of the great things to come in the future."
