As Jaguars owner Shad Khan works to complete the purchase of Wembley Stadium, the British media continue to report that he has aims to have his American football team play there, and not just once a year.
The Daily Mail reports that Khan’s staff is examining how to limit the taxes he will pay in the United Kingdom when bringing the Jaguars to Wembley.
According to the report, Khan is looking at basing the Jaguars in Jacksonville while playing their home games in London. Khan would need to make sure he can do that while keeping his own tax bill in check, as well as keeping in mind that free agents aren’t going to want to play for the Jaguars if they’re subject to the UK’s higher taxes on high incomes.
It wouldn’t make any sense to play all eight games in London while basing the team in Jacksonville, but one option that could make sense is playing four home games a year at Wembley Stadium and the other four in Jacksonville, while keeping the team facility in Florida. That would allow him to keep his word to remain in Jacksonville while also maximizing his revenue, as the Jaguars reportedly make more money for the games they play in London than for the games they play in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars have already committed to playing one home game a year in London for several years to come. If Khan is able to complete the purchase of Wembley Stadium, it seems likely that he’d want to increase that to more than one game a year. All eight games seems like a stretch, but a schedule that has the Jaguars playing half their home games in Jacksonville and half their home games in London might be doable.