NO, THE JAGUARS ARE NOT MOVING TO LONDON

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Shad Khan's purchase of Wembley Stadium does not mean the Jaguars are moving. 

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In typical Shad Khan fashion, the billionaire stole the show on draft day. The Jaguars don't have a premium draft pick in this evening's NFL Draft, but that didn't stop the Jaguars owner from making major headlines on Thursday. News broke early Thursday morning that Shad Khan would be purchasing Wembley Stadium in London.

Of course, this news has led many to believe that the Jaguars will end up moving to London. But that couldn't be further from the truth. This move actually helps the Jaguars long term stability in Jacksonville. 

Hays Carlyon of 1010 XL put it well:

Lamping made it obvious at State of the Franchise that #Jaguars hold over London was being threatened by interest of the other 31 owners. Purchase of Wembley would seemingly end the threat. Had Jags lost London, future here would certainly be threatened.

— Hays Carlyon (@HaysCarlyon) April 26, 2018

​The Jaguars need London in order to have long term stability in Jacksonville. As the smallest market in the NFL, Jacksonville and the Jaguars need the revenue stream from London in order to maintain and grow in North East Florida. There has been a growing interest from the rest of the NFL in London - thanks in large part to the Jaguars success in generating revenue from their annual home game in London - and Shad Khan just proactively blocked the rest of the NFL from gaining more traction in London than the Jaguars. 

The financial implications of this purchase are massive for Khan and for the Jaguars. If you need more assurance (you probably do) that the Jaguars aren't leaving, Khan had this to say to the Jaguars fan base regarding the purchase of Wembley Stadium:

Khan is committed to keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville. If he had any plans of moving the team away he likely wouldn't have spent to build the world's largest outdoor scoreboards, built the only amphitheater connected to an NFL stadium, put pools in the north end zone and invested in real estate around downtown Jacksonville. He also wouldn't be planning a massive undertaking in Lot J and beyond. 

Fear not Jacksonville, the Jaguars are here to stay. And while on the surface Khan's purchase of Wembley Stadium may seem like a threat to the Jaguars long term stability in Jacksonville, it's actually a major step forward for the Jaguars and our great city.