It is now official: the Washington Commanders and the District of Columbia have agreed to a deal worth over $3 billion to build the Commanders’ next stadium on the RFK Stadium campus.
“Sometimes a very long, winding road will bring you home. RFK Stadium was home for a very long time, and legends were made there,” Commanders play-by-play voice Bram Weinstein said to open the presser. “Today is not only about the past, but about the future. Timeless future memories were made at RFK Stadium, and that’s what today is about. We have more work to do, but we will stand ready.”
Per the team, they are investing ‘at least $2.7 billion to build a 65,000-seat roofed stadium that can be used year-round, together with related improvements,’ while DC will invest $500 million from the Sports Facilities Fee, a move that will prevent any cuts from the city’s operating budget.
DC will also utilize up to $181 million from Events DC for parking garages, which they will own – and is to include 8,000 spots, room for tailgating, and a ‘world-class rideshare experience’ – and the city will facilitate that with a $175 million revenue bond to be paid back by in-stadium revenue. And, the District will invest $202 million for ‘utilities infrastructure, roadways, and a WMATA transit study,’ bringing the District’s total overall investment to just over $1 billion when all is said and done.
“Promise made, promise kept. Welcome home!” Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “I’ve been working on this for the 10 years I’ve been mayor, and now we have the right partner at the right time. Everyone at the Commanders, thank you for not just buying our team, or as some would say saving our team, but making a transformational investment in Ward 7. We have 180 acres of opportunity on the banks of the Anacostia River, and this land has been underutilized for too long. What this deal provides is the fastest and surest route to utilizing the RFK campus, and delivering jobs, homes, and economic development.
It will be clear this is a good deal for DC, and a win-win-win for the city, the team, and the fans.”
Plans for the stadium, which were included in renderings given to the press, call for planning to begin this summer after Council approval, with groundbreaking hopeful for fall/winter 2026 and a stadium opening for the 2030 season – with a full timeline and development info shared on the team website, and even more info from the Mayor's office here.
“What a great day. It’s a great day in our process to bring the Commanders home, and, Mayor Bowser, I’m so appreciative to your partnership throughout this process. It is a testament to your leadership,” managing owner Josh Harris said. “Today I am ready to announce we are committed to make the single largest private investment in DC history. The Washington I remember, on Sundays, everyone was in the stadium or glued to the TV. We want to bring that back, and now we want to bring the Commanders home with a new RFK that our fans will love and opponents will fear. We want to make it about the community, and host the biggest and best events.”
And now, less than two years after purchasing the team, two of the three biggest questions surrounding its future – the on-field play and where that field will be – have been answered.
“When we bought this team, we had a vision with three key pieces: build a championship-caliber team, improve fan experience, and make a positive impact on this community. Today’s announcement is a key part of this vision – let’s come home,” Harris said. “It’s about more than a stadium, it’s a once in a generation opportunity to build a catalyst for transformational economic growth in DC, with thousands of new jobs and homes, billions in tax revenue, and 90 acres of mixed use development for our community, which deserves it.”
Harris said he was grateful to both Maryland and Virginia, and thanked Gov. Wes Moore, saying he’s excited with what they can do with the current Landover site once the Commanders move back to RFK.
And Goodell, who grew up in DC and attended games at RFK Stadium, is ready for another new stadium ‘that will continue to transform the community’ and ‘revitalize an area that has been dormant and undeveloped since the team first left.’
“This is a very special day, one that many of us have been looking forward to for many years,” Goodell said. “Under Josh’s leadership, this team has become a playoff team, and with this stadium, it will also become a leader off the field, too. The Commanders’ future is clearly a bright one. I grew up coming to games here; a generation of fans growing up rooting for the team did not have this experience, but the next one will. This is an important project that the league endorses, and we will be there to support.”