JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Well, that escalated quickly.
Coming off an 18-year drought from hosting a home playoff game, the Jacksonville Jaguars have finally won their division, giving fans the chance to watch some post-season football at EverBank Field – and for some folks, those tickets came at a premium.
When Shad Khan held his first press conference after buying the Jaguars, he held up a game ticket and said, “I want this to be the hottest ticket in town.”
Fast forward a few years, and, BAM, that’s precisely what’s happened.
Tickets for the Jaguars’ Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills are the most expensive and sought-after tickets of the four games this weekend. The Atlanta Falcons matchup against the Los Angeles Rams came in second.
Tickets went on sale to season ticket holders and group ticket buyers Dec. 26 at 10 a.m. and sold out within hours. The following day, tickets were sold to the general public at 3 p.m., but only through the official Jacksonville Jaguars app. Those tickets sold out in just three minutes.
Prices for Sunday’s game have since sky-rocketed.
The Florida Times-Union reports that at one point earlier in the week the average asking price for tickets to the game was as much as $881 on TickPick.com. Club seats on StubHub were going for up to $2,000 and suites were reportedly sold for as high as $15,000.
In addition to the tickets sold, the team announced Wednesday that it donated 1,000 tickets to Puerto Ricans displaced from their homes by Hurricane Maria as well as refugees from other countries who have moved here.
"Hopefully the experience on Sunday will give our guests a well-deserved break from what can be severe challenges in their daily lives, and if we can give them a victory on the field, it will make for a perfect day," owner Shad Khan said.
The Jaguars Wild Card matchup against the Bills kicks off Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Fans should be inside EverBank Field by noon to be sure they get a rally towel.