With the Washington Commanders now established as the permanent replacement to 'Washington Football Team,' the organization's next major agenda item is finding a place for the team to play in 2027, when its current lease at FedEx Field expires.
While the timeline makes this a known fact and Commanders owner Dan Snyder has previously insisted his organization has big plans for building a new stadium, the location for that yet-to-be-built stadium is yet to be determined. At least, now, a team official is saying it out loud.
Commanders team president Jason Wright made clear the timeline to Michael Phillips in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, leaving no doubt as to when that stadium must be ready to open.
"We will be in a new venue in 2027," Wright told Phillips. "That's about the only timeline I can give you."
Five years is a narrow window for construction of an NFL stadium, leaving little time for bickering and interstate politicking. However, that could be where things are headed now, with D.C., Maryland and Virginia all seemingly back in the running to win over the Commanders.
Virginia lawmakers, with newly elected Governor Glenn Youngkin now in office, have stepped up their advances, particularly in recent weeks. They're currently working on legislation that would make it easier to build a stadium in the commonwealth. Loudoun and Prince William Counties have been rumored destinations, should a deal be struck.
For years prior to Wednesday's rebrand, Washington's former team name, "Redskins," was a complete non-starter for D.C. lawmakers with regard to stadium talks. Now with the Commanders moniker official, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appears ready to come back to the table. She released a statement after the team's name unveiling on Wednesday explicitly stating her hopes that the team returns to the District.
"The next chapter for the Washington Commanders should be a return to winning, right here in DC," Bowser said, in part.
The District was previously the home of the Washington Redskins for 59 years, until the team moved to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland beginning with the 1997 season. The Redskins called Griffith Stadium home from the time it moved to D.C. from Boston in 1937 until 1960. They moved to RFK Stadium in 1961 and would stay there through 1996.
Maryland is back in the mix, too, according to Phillips, with Gov. Larry Hogan saying last month he intends to fight to keep the team in his state.
With all three localities back in the running, Wright says now the team's focus is on deciding which of the three's plans Washington best fits into.
"(The three localities) have economic development plans," Wright told Phillips. "They know how they want this to develop and grow. They know how they want equitable capital to flow through this economy. And we are on board with that. And it's about them telling us how we can fit into their plans. And then we'll go where we best fit into those plans."
Read Wright's full comments to Phillips in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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