The Washington Commanders could be coming back to the District. The franchise announced a $3.4 billion deal with Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday to build a glitzy, 65,000-capacity, roofed arena on the site of the old RFK Stadium.
The public-private partnership features a $2.7 billion investment from the Commanders for stadium construction. The District would pitch in $681 million for supporting horizontal construction and parking garages.
Commanders owner Josh Harris called it a return to the franchise’s spiritual home for players and fans.
“RFK Stadium holds a legendary place in our history — it’s where the team dominated the NFL, capturing three Super Bowls and creating unforgettable memories for fans,” Mr. Harris said Monday. “RFK was once a place our fans loved and opponents feared — we’re determined to make it that way again.”
Ms. Bowser has long been adamant about plans to lure the team back to the District. Monday’s announcement was the culmination of years of public lobbying.
“We said that we could do it all — Commanders, housing, park space, recreation, retail entertainment and more — and together, that’s what we are delivering,” Mayor Bowser said. “When we got control of 180 acres of land on the banks of the Anacostia, we knew right away that partnering with the Commanders would be the fastest and surest route to bringing the RFK campus to life.”
Ms. Bowser’s plan also features an $89 million sportsplex on the site to provide track, field and gymnastics facilities for D.C. residents. The popular “Fields at RFK” will also be preserved.
The new stadium would take up 11% of the land with additional space set aside for 5,000 housing units, commercial opportunities and park space.
The District would invest $500 million in construction with an additional $181 million used to build parking garages. City officials expect about 8,000 parking spaces — mirroring what the old layout included.
The new parking spaces would primarily be in above-ground garages instead of expansive lots.
Several parking spaces would be set aside for tailgating, Commanders officials said on Monday.
Any deal has to be approved by the city council, though, which may be an uphill battle.
“My position has been that there should not be public dollars — the D.C. treasury should not be paying toward a stadium,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told the Washington Post earlier this month.
Officials with the Bowser administration said they plan to be as transparent as possible. That should convince any skeptics, they reasoned.
The plans would create 14,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs at the stadium and neighboring facilities. Over the initial 30-year lease, representatives from the mayor’s office said they expect $4 billion in tax revenue and $15.6 billion in direct spending.
In a budget proposal, Ms. Bowser would request an additional $202 million in infrastructure investments to improve roadways and study the viability of the Stadium-Armory Metro Station.
The total investment from the city for the stadium and the surrounding housing, recreation and infrastructure improvements is estimated to top $1 billion.
Officials from the mayor’s office contend that the deal — when compared to similar NFL stadiums — is a massive win for the city.
Public investment would finance about 24% of the new RFK Stadium. Taxpayers from Nashville, Tennessee, are covering 60% of the cost for a new Titans stadium, officials said.
The bulk of the District’s initial invest — $500 million — will come from the city’s pre-existing Sports Facilities Fund, formerly known as the Ballpark Fee. The revenue — which came from Nationals Park — will be used to limit the funds divested from the city’s budget.
For years, the mayor’s plan for the site has featured a mixed-use development. Her vision includes affordable housing, parking garages and hotels. The popular “Fields at RFK,” recreational fields along the Anacostia River, will also be preserved alongside any new construction.
Representatives from the Commanders and the mayor’s office said they expect to host 20 major events per year. Half of those would be Commanders’ home games. The other half is to be determined, but could feature big-ticket events like the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four or concerts from A-listers like Beyonce and Taylor Swift.
Organizers are expecting a total of 1.4 million visitors to the stadium per year, thanks to the major events and an additional 100 activations.
The NFL hasn’t committed to hosting a major event like the draft or a Super Bowl in the District. A shiny new stadium wouldn’t hurt the city’s chances, though.
“Some of my earliest football memories growing up in the District were going to games at RFK Stadium. It’s time to bring the Commanders home,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “This world-class stadium will not only be an exciting site for NFL games and events in an iconic location but it will also be a community asset and an economic driver.”
The city’s slashed budget is a complicating factor, though. Federal lawmakers cut $1 billion out of the District’s budget in the middle of the fiscal year, forcing Bowser to revamp her budget proposal for fiscal 2026.
Ms. Bowser has not said how the stadium plans factor into the city’s financial plans, though further details are expected on Monday afternoon.
A last-minute legislative adjustment in December gave the District a 99-year lease for the 180-acre site that still hosts a decaying RFK Stadium. The Commanders — then known as the Redskins — played their home games at the nostalgic venue from 1961 through 1996.
A proposed lease would keep the Commanders in the District for at least 30 years. The franchise and the city could opt into five-year renewals for an additional 20 years.
The team’s owners are responsible for developing hotels and commercial sites on the land. They’d be tied to the plaza for at least 60 years with 10-year renewal options that could extend for an additional 30 years.
The site also hosted the Washington Nationals and D.C. United, though it hasn’t been used for a public sporting event since 2017.
Due to concerns about hazardous materials, the demolition process has required a piecemeal approach for the last three years. Construction accelerated again this year with the new lease.
Events DC, which operates the site and the surrounding “Fields at RFK,” said construction workers would start removing the exterior cladding this month. Officials have said the process will likely continue through the latter half of 2026.
A timeline provided by the mayor’s office relies on the city council to approve the deal this summer. The remainder of 2025 would be dedicated to planning for housing, parks and recreation initiatives.
A ground-breaking ceremony for the stadium is tentatively scheduled for the end of 2026. Construction on the commercial plaza would begin in early 2029 with construction completed in 2030.
Mr. Harris has said he hopes to open a new stadium before the 2030 NFL season. The Commanders’ lease at their current home — Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland — expires in 2027. However, the franchise owns the stadium and can easily extend the lease while it constructs a new home.
Bowser has advocated for the franchise to return to the city for years, while Maryland officials have urged the team to build a new home near its current stadium in Landover.
The Commanders have played their home games in Maryland since vacating RFK Stadium after the 1996 season.
Northwest Stadium is widely considered one of the worst venues in the NFL. Critics point out its lack of character, aging infrastructure and inconvenient location about one mile from the nearest Metro station.
Its lackluster reputation further deteriorated when a pipe leaked water onto the seats in 2021. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts called on the NFL to intervene after a railing collapsed near the visitors’ tunnel, causing several fans to fall onto the field.
Harris inherited the stadium from former owner Dan Snyder when he bought the Commanders in 2023. The ownership group has spent millions of dollars renovating the site with new suites and amenities.
Team officials said Monday that those projects have continued this offseason with a focus on player areas like locker rooms and training facilities.
Despite the investments, Harris said in February that finding a new stadium would be a priority for the franchise this offseason.
The Commanders are still tied to Northwest Stadium in Landover, though. Team officials said they would commit to tearing down their old home if the RFK Stadium deal is approved. They also said they would cooperate with Maryland lawmakers and officials to redevelop the site.
Residents in Kingman Park, the neighborhood surrounding the RFK Stadium site, have voiced their opposition to a new stadium for more than a year. They have expressed concerns about traffic and said they’d rather the land be fully dedicated to green space, affordable housing and grocery stores.
While the city has committed to preserving the Fields at RFK, officials with the Bowser administration declined to confirm any future plans for the Maloof Skate Park, which is located in one of the old stadium’s parking lots.
Activists with the “Homes Not Stadiums” group have said they’re looking to force a ballot measure that would allow D.C. residents to vote on any stadium proposal.
