NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in town for Monday Night Football as the Jacksonville Jaguars took on the Cincinnati Bengals. But before he took in the Week 13 clash, he met with several key figures in the Jaguars' bid to get a new stadium.
According to a report from The Florida Time-Union, Goodell met with Mayor Donna Deegan, City Council President Ron Salem, Jaguars owner Shad Khan, and Jaguars president Mark Lamping while he was in town.
"Mayor Donna Deegan and City Council President Ron Salem each met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before the Monday night game at EverBank Stadium for general discussions about the ongoing talks on a major stadium deal.
Goodell met separately with Deegan and Salem while he was in Jacksonville to watch the Jaguars play the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mayoral spokesman Phillip Perry said Deegan's meeting with Goodell was an opportunity for them to "get to know each other better."
"They both expressed their desire to get to 'yes' on a deal that is good for Jacksonville and the Jaguars but did not discuss any specifics in relation to negotiations," Perry said.
Salem said that during his meeting with Jaguars owner Shad Khan, team President Mark Lamping and Goodell, he told them that when a stadium deal is filed with City Council, the council would need 60 days to dive into the legislation before he would bring it to a vote.
According to the report, Mayoral spokesman Phillip Perry said the city still is "months away from having a deal in place."
The potentially $2 billion project would require an investment of 50% from Jaguars owner Shad Khan and 50% from the City of Jacksonville. Along with the stadium, areas around the site will also be developed. The Jaguars current lease ends after the 2029 season.
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