Commanders ownership pledged putting $75 million into improvements into FedEx Field Tuesday…and then promptly lost the name Wednesday when FedEx pulled out of their naming rights agreement two years early, exercising an out clause triggered by the sale of the team.
But, as team president Jason Wright revealed to Grant & Danny Wednesday, the night a new season of Survivor premieres on CBS, that move wasn’t a blindside to the team formerly named for a tribe.
“Not a surprise at all; their business model has shuffled over time, and they’ve been really good business partners to stick with us even when it didn’t align with their model,” Wright said. “They’re still with us, just not as naming rights partners. It’s good for them to get better in line for their business, but it’s also good for us to be in the market, because things are at a recent high for us. We led the league in new sponsorships last year, and with all the excitement on the football side, this is the right moment, a peak moment, for us to be in the market.”
The Commanders are hopeful to have a new partner by the start of the season, but ‘just like with any major decision,’ the ownership group will take their time to make sure the next one is the right one – in 2024 and 2034 and beyond.
“The right answer is better than the most expedient one,” Wright said. “We’re gonna look for the right strategic fit for the near term and long term. A state-of-the-art venue is coming to this region, and it’s not right away, but it’s also not a decade off, and we want a partner than can be our partner now, and be alongside us as we make a historic transition to a new venue. All sorts of versions of a deal can be on the table, but any partner we bring in now, we’re talking with them about how to be part of it when we transition too.”
And as part of that, G&D asked if the Commanders are paying attention to the situation with Monumental Sports and Entertainment, and it’s similar but different when it comes to the future.
“We certainly took note of it, and its evidence there are so many opportunities in the region for economic growth and development. They’re in the process of their decision, and we’re in the process of trying to figure out what each jurisdiction is trying to do economically,” Wright said. “It’s helpful to see how others are navigating it, but we see it as our job to be a good partner in an economic development project that will have impact for 40 or 50 years on the region. The great leaders will lead the way, and we will play our role.”
Much as JP Finlay wanted to start a GoFundMe to just buy one game’s worth of naming rights for “Chris Russell Stadium,” Grant invoked “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” and asked how much ‘just one rib’ would be, and if maybe, at minimum, they could have ‘The G&D 17-yard-line’ or something?
“I might make a deal with you on that one if it’s called ‘Danny loves the name Commanders Field,’” Wright joked back.
All jokes aside though, Wright and the Commanders are not worried at all about their current nameless stadium or the lost revenue, because now is a good time for business.
“I think for one, the investment being made is a signal of what the experience will be like, but also, this is just an inherently valuable market,” Wright said. “It’s the nation’s capital and the most diverse and loyal fan base in the NFL, at a time when that team is in a full resurgence in all aspects. We have a company called Elevate helping us, and it’s going great so far. There’s no shortage of interest, and if you are a company that has interest in the DC area, which in my opinion they all should, it is an absolutely exciting time and experience.”