Jacksonville Jaguars Deploy Drone Defense After NFL Recorded Nearly 11,000 Violations Near Stadiums
Between 2021 and 2025, the NFL recorded 10,852 unauthorized drone violations near its stadiums. The Jacksonville Jaguars just became the first team to do something formal about it.
The NFL has been tracking unauthorized drone activity in and around its stadiums since 2021, and after five seasons the number sits at 10,852 violations. That figure, disclosed to CNBC this week as the league enters Week 3 of the 2026 season, captures everything from hobbyists flying too close to restricted airspace to more deliberate intrusions, including one that suspended the AFC Championship Game in January 2024 and another that briefly halted a Ravens-Steelers playoff game before the Safer Skies Act came into force. The Jacksonville Jaguars have now become the first franchise in NFL history to sign a formal contract with a drone defense company to address the problem.
The Jaguars announced in August that they had selected Ondas Holdings and its subsidiary Sentrycs to provide counter-drone protection at EverBank Stadium for the full 2026 season. The Sentrycs system uses Cyber-over-RF technology, which detects, identifies and safely mitigates unauthorized drones without the need for jamming, netting or physical interception. The deployment follows Sentrycs' use across multiple venues during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
How the Sentrycs Counter-Drone System Works at EverBank Stadium
The Sentrycs CoRF platform operates by intercepting the radio frequency communication between a drone and its operator, allowing the system to identify the drone, track its position and redirect it away from restricted airspace without disrupting other electronic systems inside the stadium. Unlike conventional jamming, which can interfere with GPS signals, mobile networks and stadium broadcast equipment, the CoRF approach targets the drone's specific control frequency rather than the broader electromagnetic environment.
Eric Brock, Chairman and CEO of Ondas, described the Jaguars deployment as a natural extension of the company's World Cup work. "The Jaguars' decision to move beyond detection reflects an important evolution in professional sports security."
The Legislative Push Behind NFL Drone Defense
The Jaguars deployment operates under the authority granted by the Safer Skies Act, passed as part of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which gave trained local law enforcement counter-drone mitigation authority for major events for the first time. The NFL and other leagues have also backed the DEFENSE Act, a separate bipartisan Senate bill sponsored by Tom Cotton and Jacky Rosen, which would expand those powers further and mandate federal agencies to publish a list of approved drone mitigation technologies. The FAA's no-fly zone around NFL stadiums on game day extends three nautical miles and is in effect from two hours before kickoff. The Jaguars now have the technology to enforce it.