History of the Jacksonville Jaguars The history of the Jacksonville Jaguars , an American football team in the National Football League ( NFL ) , formally dates to 1993 , when the NFL awarded Jacksonville , Florida the expansion franchise that became the Jacksonville Jaguars . The Jaguars , along with the Carolina Panthers , started play in the 1995 NFL season as expansion teams . Jacksonville football history . For decades , Jacksonville had earned a reputation of being a good football town , hospitable for both college and pro football . Every year the city hosts the Gator Bowl , an annual civic highlight traditionally accompanied by parties , ceremonies , parades and other events leading up to the game . Jacksonville is also host to the Florida vs . Georgia Football Classic , the annual college football rivalry game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators . The Gator Bowl stadium was built out of steel trusses and was frequently built onto , with the final addition of the reinforced - concrete west upper deck coming in 1982 . The stadium hosted short - lived teams in both the World Football League ( Jacksonville Sharks / Express ) , American Football Association ( Jacksonville Firebirds , a team that coincidentally used the Jaguars name in its earlier years ) and the United States Football League ( Jacksonville Bulls ) and the occasional NFL exhibition game . The city briefly attempted to lure the Baltimore Colts , whose team owner Robert Irsay famously landed a helicopter in the stadium as thousands of Jacksonville citizens urged him to move the team there . City leaders also attempted to get the Houston Oilers to move to Jacksonville at one point in the late 1980s . Great efforts were made to lure the Oilers , including the creation of a " Jacksonville Oilers " banner and designation of a specific section of the Gator Bowl as a non - alcohol , family section for proposed home games . Though the efforts proved unsuccessful , it did serve as a launching pad for the city ' s attempt to gain an NFL expansion team . Welcome to the NFL : 1991 – 94 . In 1991 , the NFL made a decision to expand the league by two teams , originally in time for the 1993 season . The league had not expanded since the 1976 season with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , and with the sport growing the NFL felt the time was right to add additional franchises . Five cities were ultimately chosen as finalists for the two new teams : Charlotte , North Carolina ; St . Louis , Missouri ; Baltimore , Maryland ; Memphis , Tennessee ; and Jacksonville . From the beginning , Charlotte and St . Louis were considered the heavy favorites to win , with Baltimore also a strong possibility . Though not as strong a bid , Memphis was still considered an outside possibility , as the NFL did not have a presence in the area . For many reasons , Jacksonville was considered the darkest horse in the field . Florida already had two NFL teams : the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , who played about a four - hour ride away , and the Miami Dolphins , who were already popular in Jacksonville and most of the state . Secondly , any expansion team would also have to compete with existing college football interests . The state ' s three major college football teams — the Florida Gators , the Florida State Seminoles and the Miami Hurricanes — all have fairly large followings in the area . Additionally , the Bulldogs have a large fan base in Jacksonville due to its close proximity to the Georgia border . Jacksonville was also the only television market in the running that was not in the top 50 Nielsen markets . While Jacksonville was the 15th largest city in the nation at the time , it was ( then as now ) only a medium - sized market because the surrounding suburban and rural areas are smaller than the city itself . There were 635 , 000 people in Jacksonville proper according to the 1990 census , but only 900 , 000 people in the metropolitan area . However , the biggest potential hurdle was the near - constant turmoil surrounding the ownership group . It had formed in 1989 , three years before the NFL formally launched its expansion drive . The group called itself Touchdown Jacksonville ! and it placed its formal application with the NFL in 1991 . The original ownership group had included future Governor Jeb Bush and Jacksonville developer and political kingmaker Tom Petway . It was in 1991 this group confidently announced that it would call its team the Jacksonville Jaguars . After some defections and mutinies , the group came to be led by the relatively deep pockets of J . Wayne Weaver , shoe magnate and founder of Nine West . From the time Touchdown Jacksonville ! came to being , they faced several challenges . In April 1993 , the NFL indicated to Jacksonville officials that additional renovations to the Gator Bowl on top of what had already been committed would be needed . After several weeks of negotiations , and at least one breakdown , an agreement was reached that capped the city ' s liability for construction and was sent to the City Council for approval . However , on July 21 , 1993 , the Council failed to approve the financing package , dooming the bid . Deposits on season tickets were refunded , and Touchdown Jacksonville ! ' s offices were shuttered . Largely due to being underwhelmed by the remaining suitors , the NFL and others encouraged Jacksonville interests to revisit the issue and resurrect their bid . About a month later negotiations between the city and Touchdown Jacksonville ! resumed , and a slightly revised aid package was approved by a solid majority of the City Council . Officially back in the race , Jacksonville officials were energized , indicated by a drive to sell club seats that resulted in over 10 , 000 seats being sold in 10 days . The Jaguars also gained a high - profile investor when former NFL star player Deron Cherry signed on as a limited partner . After Charlotte was granted the 29th franchise on October 26 , the NFL announced they would name the 30th franchise on or before November 30 , 1993 . By this time , conventional wisdom was that St . Louis would get the 30th franchise . In fact , so sure were some in St . Louis that the franchise would be granted that T - shirts of the " St . Louis Stallions " ( the proposed new team name ) briefly went on sale at some St . Louis area sporting goods shops . However , it was not meant to be , as at 4 : 12 p . m . ( ET ) on the afternoon of November 30 , Jacksonville was announced as the winning franchise . The next evening , 25 , 000 fans celebrated at the Gator Bowl as season ticket sales were kicked off . Within ten days , the Florida Times - Union ( Jacksonville ' s daily newspaper ) announced sales had passed the 55 , 000 seat mark . ( Incidentally , St . Louis , Baltimore , and Tennessee . would gain relocated NFL franchises in 1995 , 1996 , and 1997 , respectively ) . After the 1993 Gator Bowl , work commenced on renovations to the Gator Bowl on January 3 , 1994 , which would need to be completed prior to the start of the 1995 season . In fact , the renovation was essentially the construction of a new stadium , as the entire lower bowl was demolished and replaced with a reinforced concrete superstructure . To allow the city time to complete the stadium , the Georgia - Florida rivalry was played as a home - and - home series in 1994 and 1995 ( the first time they played in either school ' s home city since 1932 ) , and the 1994 Gator Bowl was played in Gainesville . The stadium would be completed on time and hosted its first preseason NFL game on August 18 , 1995 . On the field : 1995 – 99 . 1995 . In 1995 , along with the Carolina Panthers , the Jacksonville Jaguars entered the NFL as the first expansion teams in almost 20 years . The Jaguars finished their inaugural season with a record of 4 – 12 . During this inaugural season many of the players who would lead Jacksonville to early successes began establishing themselves , including quarterback Mark Brunell ( obtained in a trade with Green Bay ) , offensive lineman Tony Boselli ( drafted with the 2nd pick overall in the 1995 NFL Draft ) running back James Stewart ( also drafted in 1995 ) , and wide receiver Jimmy Smith ( signed as a free agent ) . 1996 . Jacksonville ' s 1996 season was a marked success . They won six of their last seven games of the season and finished with a record of 9 – 7 . The last of the 9 wins was snatched from Atlanta , 19 - 17 , by the off chance that Atlanta kicker Morten Andersen , a career 96 . 9 % under 30 yards kicker , shanked a 30 yard field goal . In doing so , they clinched the 5th seed in the AFC playoffs after winning a tiebreaker with the 9 – 7 Indianapolis Colts . Their first playoff game was against the Buffalo Bills at Buffalo , a game that the Jaguars won 30 – 27 . Their next game was against the Denver Broncos , top seed in the AFC and a team that , with a 13 – 3 record , had dominated the AFC that year . Yet the Jaguars , unintimidated by the Broncos or their fans , largely dominated from the second quarter on , with a late Mark Brunell to Jimmy Smith touchdown giving the Jags a 30 – 20 lead late . They held on to win 30 – 27 , in what was regarded by many as the second greatest upset in NFL history . Upon their return home , the Jags were greeted by an estimated 40 , 000 fans at the stadium . Many of these fans had watched the game on the stadium JumboTron displays and had stayed into the early hours of the morning when the team arrived . In the AFC Championship Game , the Jaguars lost 20 – 6 to the New England Patriots . On an interesting sidenote , their fellow second - year NFC expansion team , the Carolina Panthers , also got to the NFC Championship , where they lost 30 - 13 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers . In that year , Super Bowl XXXI almost became an all - expansion team Super Bowl . 1997 . In the franchise ' s third year ( 1997 ) , the Jaguars got an 11 – 5 record and got into the playoffs for the second year in a row as a Wild Card Team . However , this return was short - lived as the Denver Broncos , whom the Jaguars had knocked out of the playoffs the previous year , trampled the Jaguars at Mile High Stadium 42 – 17 , with five of their six touchdowns coming on run plays . 1998 . In December 1998 , the Jaguars won the AFC Central Division and became the first NFL expansion team to make the playoffs three times in its first four seasons of play . In the Wild Card Round , the Jaguars won their very first playoff game at home against the New England Patriots 25 – 10 . However . they lost in the Divisional Round as the New York Jets won at Giants Stadium 34 – 24 . 1999 . The 1999 season was quite a success for the Jacksonville Jaguars as they compiled a record of 14 – 2 , which was the best regular season record in the NFL that year ; it remains the best season record in franchise history . In the January 2000 AFC Divisional playoffs , the Jaguars flattened the Miami Dolphins 62 – 7 in what turned out to be Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson ' s last NFL game . Jacksonville ' s 62 points and 55 - point margin are the second most ever in NFL playoff history , and Fred Taylor ' s 90 - yard run is the longest ever in an NFL playoff game . However , the Jaguars again failed to move on to the Super Bowl when they were defeated a week later by the Tennessee Titans 33 – 14 . The Jaguars thus finished the 1999 season 15 – 3 , with all three of their losses coming against the Titans . ( Not surprisingly , this was the only time in NFL history that a 3 - loss team met all of its losses at the hands of only one team . ) Decline : 2000 – 02 . Following their defeat in the AFC Championship Game , the team ' s fortunes declined as players left due to the team ' s poor salary cap position . Boselli , along with strong defensive tackles Gary Walker and Seth Payne were exposed to be drafted by the expansion Texans in 2002 . This move helped bring the Jaguars under the salary cap , but was emblematic of the loss of talent over these years . WR Keenan McCardell , CB Aaron Beasley , LB Kevin Hardy and RB James Stewart were other players lost to free agency because of salary - cap issues . The years 2000 – 02 all featured losing records . Coach Tom Coughlin was quoted as saying his 2002 squad had less talent on it than the original 1995 expansion team roster , a statement that many analysts agreed with . Coughlin would coach that team to 6 wins ( compared to 4 wins in 1995 ) , but he was also to blame for the team ' s roster and salary cap issues because he doubled as the team ' s general manager . In January 2003 , the Jaguars fired Tom Coughlin along with all of his staff . Team owner Wayne Weaver shortly announced Coughlin ' s replacements , they were former NFL quarterback James " Shack " Harris as the de facto General Manager ( VP of Player Personnel ) and former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio in the head coaching position . Del Rio also had an impressive NFL career , going to the Pro Bowl as a linebacker . Return to the playoffs : 2003 - 05 . Del Rio has been referred to as a " players ' coach " and is rarely seen yelling at his players on the sideline or saying bad things about them to the press ( in stark contrast to Coughlin ) . His training camps are noted for having a low number of high - intensity workouts in full pads , tending to emphasize walking through the game ' s mental aspects instead . However , it should also be noted that Del Rio ' s style of game play is very physical , relying on a punishing rushing attack and stellar defensive play . James Harris was noted for his " Best Player Available " draft philosophy , in which he ignores the team ' s current roster and simply picks the college player he feels is the best athlete . This is in contrast to Coughlin ' s draft philosophy , which was based on assessing needs in the current pro roster . James Harris put this philosophy to work immediately upon being hired , drafting quarterback Byron Leftwich even though Mark Brunell , who at the time was in the top ten for best QB rating in league history , was still on the roster . Harris ' s 2003 and 2004 draft classes were highly regarded . 2004 . The 2004 season , celebrated as the 10th season of the Jaguars ' existence , resulted in a winning record of 9 - 7 with road victories against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field as well as the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome . The Jaguars ' defense was a strong suit , as it included the 2 of the team ' s Pro Bowl players , defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson . Byron Leftwich also enjoyed a solid year in 2004 , helped by strong performances from holdovers Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith . Unfortunately , Taylor sustained a season - ending injury at the Packers game . The very next week saw the Jaguars fall to the Houston Texans , which would ultimately eliminate the Jaguars from the playoffs . This denied them an opportunity to play the Super Bowl at their home stadium ( the Super Bowl in February 2005 being the first the Jaguars , and Jacksonville , hosted ) . 2005 . The 2005 Jaguars ' hoped to challenge the Colts for the division title . However , due to their 13 - 0 start , including two victories against the Jaguars , the Colts were able to easily clinch the AFC South title . With a 12 – 4 record ( second best finish in team history ) , the Jaguars easily qualified for one of the conference ' s two wild card playoff allocations . Among these 12 wins were a 23 - 20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on October 9 , 2005 and a 23 - 17 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 16 , 2005 . While the Jaguars managed to win key games in 2005 , 9 of their final 10 games were played against opponents with losing records . Though these games were wins , key players Byron Leftwich , Mike Peterson , Paul Spicer , and Rashean Mathis were hurt during this stretch . The Jaguars ended the season losing 28 - 3 to the two - time defending champion New England Patriots on January 7 , 2006 in the 2005 season ' s AFC wild card playoff round . 2006 - present . The 2006 season was an unremarkable 8 - 8 campaign , and the Jaguars only achieved third place in the division . In 2007 , several players became caught in legal troubles and the team had to embark on a mass overhaul to have the required 53 - man roster . Jacksonville gained a wild card spot after an 11 - 5 regular season and knocked out Pittsburgh in the playoffs . Afterwards , they lost to an undefeated Patriots team in the divisional round . Tragedy befell the Jaguars again as offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot multiple times outside his girlfriend ' s apartment on September 2 , 2008 and left a paraplegic . Jacksonville tumbled to 5 - 11 and the bottom of the division in 2008 . Beginning 2009 , the Jaguars lost three of the first six matches , including a 41 - 0 shutout at Seattle . They won four of the next five and held faint playoff hopes into December , but a defeat in New England finally sealed their fate , and they lost the season ender against Cleveland . The Jaguars continued to have trouble selling seats , and all but one home game were blacked out on local television . The Jaguars went into the 2010 season amid efforts by the team and the City of Jacksonville to drum up ticket sales and revive enthusiasm about the team . Jacksonville Municipal Stadium ' s naming rights were granted to EverBank in August 2010 , and the stadium was renamed EverBank Field . The Jaguars were able to sell out their 2010 home opener against the Denver Broncos . The Broncos had on their roster ex - Florida Gators quarterback and Jacksonville native Tim Tebow , which generated interest in the local media . Tebow played only two downs the entire game , which saw Jacksonville win 24 - 17 . The following weekend they traveled to San Diego where they lost 38 - 13 to the San Diego Chargers After being crushed at home 28 - 3 by Philadelphia , the Jaguars hosted their division rival Indianapolis in Week 3 and won 31 - 28 on a last - minute field goal by kicker Josh Scobee . They followed this up by beating the winless Buffalo Bills in Week 5 with a score of 36 - 26 . After this , the team hosted Tennessee in its first Monday Night Football game in four years , but the Jaguars quickly folded , losing quarterback David Garrard to an injury and suffering a 30 - 3 rout . They next played the Kansas City Chiefs and lost 42 - 20 . After this crushing loss , David Garrard made a triumphant return and led the Jaguars to three straight victories , against the struggling Dallas Cowboys ( 35 - 17 ) , against division rival Texans on a last - second hail mary touchdown pass ( 31 - 24 ) , and the Cleveland Browns ( 24 - 20 ) . This streak would be ended the next week by a loss to the New York Giants . ( 24 - 20 ) However , a rebound victory was scored the next week against a now struggling Titans team , ( 17 - 6 ) putting them in sole possession of first place in the AFC South . The Jaguars maintained their lead by beating Oakland 38 - 31 in Week 15 .