Commanders, Washington agree on deal to build at RFK Stadium site
The District of Columbia and Washington Commanders have reached an agreement to construct a new home for the football team.
A person walks a dog near Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act passed the U.S. Senate early December 21st. (Photo by Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington’s NFL franchise is set to return to the nation’s capital as part of an agreement between the organization and the District of Columbia government to build on the site of the old RFK Stadium.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday the District of Columbia and the Commanders reached an agreement to construct a new home for the football team in the city at the place the franchise called home for more than three decades. The agreement is pending D.C. City Council approval.
The team and the mayor announced the move in a video posted on social media, narrated by Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Theismann, who spoke about his experience playing at RFK Stadium and how the new one will benefit the city.
Let’s bring this franchise back to DC pic.twitter.com/iGb7u6dbvB
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 28, 2025
“The time is now,” Theismann said. “Let’s bring Washington back to D.C.”
Further details on timing and funding are expected later in the day. Bowser and team officials are scheduled to hold a news conference at 11 a.m. EDT.
Commanders ownership, led by Josh Harris, has been considering places in Washington, Maryland and Virginia since buying the team from Dan Snyder in 2022. The most recent progress came when congress passed a bill transferring the RFK Stadium land to D.C. that was signed by former President Joe Biden in early January, after lobbying on Capitol Hill by Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell late last year.
Washington has played in Landover, Maryland, since moving there in 1997. The Commanders’ lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover runs through 2027. Harris has called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new stadium.
The team played at RFK Stadium, 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the U.S. Capitol, from 1961-96 before moving to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington football fans during that era, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.
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Comments
3 Comments
I wish I knew why the term Redskin for a loved living team is so wrong. I say that with ignorance because I grew up in Illinois and Native American were heroes to most of us and to be honored. That's why the name Redskin to me just doesn't hit me and never will as a slur. And "intentions" are what make a word bad, not the word itself. It will always be used to designate bravery and Culture and I honor them.
That being said, if Native Americans truly have a problem with it I will honor that. But I suspect its probably a few "good doers" on the left making a fight out of it to heal some personal issues.
Good. Should be great for DC. Now, let's start calling them the Redskins again. Washington Redskins in the new RFK Staidum
The name was changed, and it’s not changing back
Changing it back now, after building around the Commanders marketing and pouring so much time and money into it, is dumb and only harms the franchise further. They picked a new identity (with nods to the past, like keeping The Hogs & the Maroon & Gold), and they’re building around that
The old-timers can remember the Redskins branding with fondness if they like (despite the team being mostly terrible for decades under that name), but change is a constant of life. You learn to live with it and move on
Young fans will know the team as the Commanders, and you know what? That’s fine