announcement last week<\/a> that they will play the entire 2027 season at Orlando\u2019s Camping World Stadium while their own stadium is being massively renovated should be a celebratory moment \u2014 and it is. But it\u2019s also something else: a flashing neon sign exposing how badly the Bucs have fumbled one of the most valuable untapped NFL markets in the country.<\/p>\nLet\u2019s call it what it is.<\/p>\n
Orlando is the biggest media market in America without an NFL team. And for years \u2014 decades, really \u2014 it has been sitting right here, just 85 miles down Interstate-4 from Raymond James Stadium, practically begging the Buccaneers to claim it, cultivate it and turn it into an extension of their fan base.<\/p>\n
Instead?<\/p>\n
The Bucs flirted.<\/p>\n
They held training camp here for a while and teased a relationship. And then, just like that, they packed up, moved camp back to Tampa, and largely disappeared from Central Florida as if we were just some meaningless summer fling who they\u2019ve now ghosted for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n
Out of sight, out of mind.<\/p>\n
So now here comes Jaguars owner Shad Khan, rolling into Orlando with a full season of meaningful NFL football \u2014 not preseason fluff, not exhibitions, but real games that count in the standings \u2014 and suddenly the Bucs are expected to just smile politely and pretend this doesn\u2019t sting?<\/p>\n
Puh-leeze.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t thank someone publicly unless there was at least a little tension behind the scenes. And Khan made a point \u2014 a very deliberate point \u2014 to acknowledge and thank the Bucs when the deal with Orlando became official.<\/p>\n
When I pressed Khan on whether the Bucs could have stood in the way of the deal if they had so chosen, Khan promptly cut off that line of question: \u201cThe point is they didn\u2019t object. They worked with us. So, please, let\u2019s not go there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t kid yourself, the Bucs absolutely could have made this difficult. They absolutely could have flexed territorial muscle. They absolutely could have lobbied against another NFL team setting up shop \u2014 even temporarily \u2014 in what they\u2019ve long considered part of their footprint.<\/p>\n
But they didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s fair to wonder why.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s because deep down, the Bucs know they haven\u2019t earned the right to slam that door.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s because they understand Orlando has been more patient than it should have been.<\/p>\n
Or maybe \u2014 just maybe \u2014 it\u2019s because the Bucs might need Orlando sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not ignore the timing here.<\/p>\n
The Buccaneers are openly pursuing massive renovations to Raymond James Stadium; a project that could approach $1 billion and, more importantly, could force them to play a season somewhere else.<\/p>\n
And where would that somewhere else most likely be?<\/p>\n
Camping World Stadium in Orlando, of course.<\/p>\n
The very same place the Jaguars are about to showcase to the entire NFL.<\/p>\n
So imagine the optics if the Bucs had tried to block Jacksonville from coming in, only to turn around a few years later and ask Orlando to host them.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not just awkward; that\u2019s hypocritical.<\/p>\n
At any rate, the Jaguars are seizing this moment to grow their brand and connect with a market that already watches them in big numbers while the Bucs are left wondering why they never truly tried to sail their pirate ship into this market.<\/p>\n
Orlando didn\u2019t suddenly become valuable overnight.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been valuable.<\/p>\n
The difference is, one team is finally acting like it.<\/p>\n
Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan, the man who negotiated the deal with the Jaguars, has been practically waving a flag for years trying to get the Bucs more involved in Central Florida.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hope is, and my ambition would be, that sooner than later, we can convince the Bucs to have a more regular presence here in Orlando,\u201d Hogan says. \u201cBecause of the proximity, I just think it\u2019s a natural. \u2026 That\u2019s why I think the Jags playing here in 2027 is so important because it\u2019s going to give the NFL the chance to really cultivate this market and see its buying power.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho steps into that void when the Jaguars go back to Jacksonville in 2028 is anybody\u2019s guess. But in my personal opinion, I think the Bucs have every opportunity to really seize the entire I-4 corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the Jaguars now have a massive head start in claiming a media market that is currently ranked No. 15 in the country and will soon be in the top 12. The Jags are bringing games, attention, relevance and, most importantly, a sense that Orlando matters.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just just about one season in 2027.<\/p>\n
This is about perception, momentum and connecting with and regionalizing a fan base.<\/p>\n
Right now, the Jaguars are building that connection.<\/p>\n
And the Bucs?<\/p>\n
They\u2019re watching it happen.<\/p>\n
From a distance.<\/p>\n
Like someone who suddenly realizes the relationship they took for granted for far too long wasn\u2019t guaranteed after all.<\/p>\n
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my radio show \u201cGame On\u201d every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com\/listen<\/p>\n
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