Mark Segraves breaks down what we know about the Commanders' deal with DC to return to RFK
News broke from NBC4's Mark Segraves Wednesday that the Commanders and D.C. are 'in the red zone' of a deal that would bring a new stadium to the RFK site a report he broke down for Grant & Danny:
He continually stressed that the deal is nowhere near final, as a few hurdles still need to be cleared and some of the reported numbers (including the amount both the team and the District will be spending) are subject to change even as it does move forward – but just as DC getting back control of the land was a huge piece of the puzzle to get here, this is now further verification that it could be reality.
Nothing has been signed, nothing is finalized, and the biggest hurdle is what is now $410 million in budget cuts the DC government is faced with making because of Congress," Segraves said. "But what this tells us is that this deal is very far along. We've always known that Josh Harris has been leaning toward DC; he's made no secret of his connection to DC and romanticizes his days growing up here and going to games at RFK, and what this says is they're very, very far down the line. They're not having these kinds of talks with Maryland or Virginia or anywhere else, it seems to be singularly focused, and we've seen the NFL and the team lobby Congress on behalf of the District of Columbia on things not just related to the stadium deal. So it really looks like there's a very strong partnership between Josh Harris and Mayor Bowser, and their focus on bringing the team back to DC, it's just a question of working out those details.
"I would say that I think odds are that the team is coming to DC. My guess is the numbers will probably be a little different than what's in this initial document that I have, but it'll be close and the proportions will probably be in place – and I think that's an important thing to look at," Segraves said. "Where else do you see a team owner putting up that much money for a stadium compared to what the jurisdictions put in? If you're in favor of this and you compare this deal to others, it's a pretty good deal. Every sports facility in our city has a different type of financing deal than the other ones, and this is going to be yet again a unique stadium deal for Washington DC. It allows Josh Harris to develop that entire acreage, and he's already hired the executive that did the Amazon 2 headquarters in Virginis whose bread and butter is overseeing mixed-use, public/private developments like this. So, the team is gonna develop that entire area with retail, housing, and a stadium, if this deal gets finalized."
Listen to Segraves' entire visit with Grant & Danny above!
