Georgia's Kirby Smart on moving Gators-Bulldogs game: 'Nothing's off the table'

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Could the Florida-Georgia football game in Jacksonville eventually leave the First Coast? 

Georgia coach Kirby Smart lit the fuse again on the oft-discussed topic, telling media on Tuesday at the SEC spring meetings in Destin that the possibility to move the game to a home-and-home series is always open for discussion. 

“Nothing’s off the table,” Smart said. “Nothing’s been decided, either.”

The city released a statement from Mayor Lenny Curry, saying that it was remaining steadfast in keeping the game in town, a place where it has been held all but two years, since 1933. The 1994 game was played in Gainesville and the 1995 game in Athens due to renovations on the stadium.

“Jacksonville is proud to host this game," Curry said. "The administration is in active discussions with both schools to keep this longstanding tradition in Jacksonville where it belongs.”

The city and the schools announced an extension in 2016, although it wasn’t passed until the following year. That deal keeps the game in Jacksonville through 2021. 

Regardless of Smart’s statement, the school’s and the city of Jacksonville will ultimately have the final say. Each school earned $125,000 in the first year of the contract, and $250,000 for the second through the fifth year of the deal. The teams also split the gate revenue.