Government funding deal opens door to move Washington Commanders stadium to DC

The Washington Commanders could soon see kickoff take place in the heart of the nation’s capital.

The government funding deal unveiled by congressional negotiators on Tuesday paved the way for moving the Commanders' stadium from Maryland, to Washington, D.C., a development that local officials are touting as a big win for the city.

The legislation — which lawmakers rolled out ahead of Friday’s shutdown deadline — includes a provision that transfers jurisdiction of the site of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus, the defunct venue in the Northeast part of the city, from the federal government to the city of D.C. for 99 years.

That would make it possible for the Commanders to negotiate the construction of a new stadium where the RFK Stadium is currently located.

The Commanders played at RFK Stadium between1961 and 1996, before moving to Northwest Stadium, formerly known as FedEx Field, in Landover, Maryland, where they play now. The team’s lease at that venue ends in 2027.

NFL Commissioner Roger Coodell and Josh Harris, the controlling owner of the Commanders, met with lawmakers earlier this month to advocate for giving D.C. jurisdiction over RFK Stadium, The Associated Press reported at the time.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) hailed the development.

“As a city, we have worked for years toward the opportunity to transform a vacant, blighted sea of asphalt in the heart of DC and put the RFK campus back to productive use,” Bowser said in a statement. “Today, we are pleased and grateful to congressional leaders for advancing this critical bipartisan legislation that recognizes the potential of the land.”

“And the potential is great — for housing and jobs; for sports, recreation, and an entertainment district; for green space, better connections to the river, and monumental views of our Nation’s Capital,” she continued. “The future of the RFK campus will benefit residents and visitors alike, and our vision for the renaissance and development of more than 170 acres of waterfront space will benefit the entire region.”

The Hill reached out to the Commanders for comment.

A move by the Commanders from Maryland to D.C. would mark a big loss for the Old Line State, with the change potentially dealing an economic blow to the area. The government funding bill did, however, include a big victory for Maryland: full federal funding to repair the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The legislation also includes language to transfer a D.C. Air National Guard squadron to Maryland.

As the continuing resolution came into clear view, Maryland’s two senators, Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D) and Ben Cardin (D), ultimately said they were on board with the RFK Stadium language despite some initial concern.

"Our principal objective has been to equalize this," Cardin told Fox 5. "We think we’ve been successful in doing that. Nothing is done until everything is done but that was our principal objective and we’ve been working very closely with the governor and the commanders for this to become a reality." 

The RFK Stadium language was one of several add-ons in the sprawling stopgap, which will fund the government through March 14, extend the farm bill by one year, appropriate roughly $100 billion in disaster relief and about $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers, and allow a number of reauthorizations.

Lawmakers have until Friday at midnight to approve the legislation or allow the government to shut down.