Buccaneers Reportedly Looking For Major Stadium Renovations With $1 Billion Budget

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their owners, the Glazer Family, are looking to bring some major upgrades to Raymond James Stadium.

Per the Tampa Bay Times' Colleen Wright, the Buccaneers are seeking a $1 billion renovation to Raymond James Stadium. Half of that money would go toward a sun covering over Raymond James Stadium, and the Glazers have initially proposed to pay for a third of the cost with the public covering the rest of it.

The proposal comes in the midst of another Tampa Bay team, the Rays, looking to remain in the Tampa Bay area with a huge deal of their own.

Buccaneers Looking to Renovate Raymond James Stadium

Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers pirate ship in the end zone against the Los Angeles Rams | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The move to modernize Raymond James makes sense, both from the perspective of the Glazers and the Tampa Sports Authority. Raymond James Stadium was opened for the 1998 season, and outside of smaller renovations in 2015 and 2018, it has remained largely unchanged since then. In addition to football games, the venue has held large concerts and other sporting events over the course of its existence.

That being said, the biggest question will be how much money the Tampa Bay area would be willing to contribute with the Rays currently looking for a stadium of their own. The Rays' proposed stadium project near Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry Campus is for $2.3 billion, with the Rays offering to pay for half of it, per the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Emma Behrmann, and that would certainly factor into what Tampa Bay would be willing to pay for an upgrade to Tampa Bay's stadium.

A similar remodeling project to look at would be that of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are set to completely revamp Everbank Stadium in a similar way in 2027 for a 2028 opening. That project is set to cost $1.4 billion, with the city of Jacksonville fronting about half of that cost. The Buccaneers are looking for a similar budget, so Jacksonville's deal could serve as a benchmark.

There is no set date or agreement on when this renovation would occur. But with Tampa Bay likely looking to host the Super Bowl again after doing so in 2021 and the rest of the league rapidly upgrading or moving to newer, lavish stadiums, talks regarding Raymond James Stadium will likely continue for some time.

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