Commanders’ move back to DC edge closer

Image: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington DC, Duane Lempke, CC0

Chances of the National Football League’s (NFL) Washington Commanders moving back to Washington D.C. are growing.

CBS Sports said no deal has been done yet but that negotiations are heading towards a $3 billion agreement to build a stadium for them at the current RFK Stadium site.

D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser and the Commanders have preliminary plans in place that involve the team paying for the majority of the costs for the build, while city money would go towards building up the rest of the 180-acre development.

Earlier this year former US President Joe Biden signed into law a Bill that transfers the land that includes the old RFK Stadium from the Federal Government to City control.

This gives the District of Columbia control of the land for the next 99 years allowing the old stadium to be torn down and the site redeveloped, possibly as a football stadium and entertainment district.

The 56,692-capacity Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as the RFK Stadium and originally known as the District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multipurpose stadium in Washington, D.C. (US). It once served as the home arena of the NFL team Washington Commanders.

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington Metropolitan area (US). The Commanders compete in the NFL as a member of the National Football Conference East Division.

The Commanders currently play at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland (US) located five miles East of Washington, D.C. From 2004 until 2010, it had the NFL’s largest seating capacity at 91,000. It currently seats 62,000.

Documents obtained by NBC4 Washington state that the Commanders would provide $2.5 billion for the new stadium. The city would put up $850 million, with that money going towards “eligible capital costs associated with the stadium and infrastructure for the stadium.” This includes the parking that would be used by the entire development.

D.C.’s contribution would be paid in instalments, beginning with $500 million paid out between 2026 and 2030. The remaining $350 million would be paid in 2032 from the taxes the city receives from the new build.

The deal, still in the works, has the stadium and parking done by fall of 2030, in line with Commanders owner Josh Harris’ timeline.

The Commanders are in a contract to play at Northwest Stadium until 2027, with the option for the deal to be extended until a new stadium is ready, given that the team owns the stadium and the land where they play.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has said he wants a new stadium built next to the current one in Landover, Maryland. The Commanders played in RFK Stadium from 1961 to 1996 before the move to Maryland.

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