The Washington Commanders are coming home.
The D.C. Council voted 11-2 on Wednesday to approve a deal valued at around $3.7 billion to build the team a new stadium on the old RFK Stadium site.
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It’s the second and final vote that was needed to finally close the book on a yearslong, winding political saga that’s involved Congress, D.C. leaders and even President Donald Trump.
And the drama continued until the very end.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Commanders officials announced the deal in April, with some council members expressing concerns about its terms and the lack of communication with the council. The back and forth between the council, mayor’s office and the team drew on for months, until the council approved an amended deal in its first vote in August.
Most everyone was seemingly on board and final approval Wednesday seemed certain.
But just hours before the final vote, several council members submitted last-second amendments, sparking frustration from the team. Washington Commanders President Mark Clouse wrote a letter to the council Wednesday responding to the proposed changes.
“For several months, our team worked in good faith with each Councilmember to finalize this project,” Clouse wrote. “Less than 24 hours before the final vote, the Commanders organization was presented with a list of unworkable and impractical new last-minute demands by Councilmembers, which we simply cannot agree to as it jeopardizes the deal.”
WTOP’s Mike Murillo reported from the Wilson Building in D.C. that those amendments included new taxes on parking and merchandise revenue, as well as penalties for missed deadlines on delivering housing included in the deal.
Seven votes were needed Wednesday to give final approval to the deal. Nine council members approved it during the first vote in August. Murillo noted most amendments came from council members who voted no the first time, or from Trayon White, who did not take part in the first vote, as he had not yet been sworn in after winning his July special election to return to the council.
The council voted many of those amendments down before taking a final vote on the legislation Wednesday. Only At-Large Council member Robert White and Ward 1’s Brianne Nadeau voted no. Ward 3’s Matthew Frumin voted no during the first vote in August but switched to a yes Wednesday.
“It had been my intention that if I could not strengthen the accountability measures that I would vote against the deal overall. But I actually was struck by things that council member Pinto said today. It’s going to happen. I think let’s all get shoulder to shoulder and make this as great as it can be,” Frumin said. “So while I didn’t get what I hoped for, I am going to vote in support of this bill.”
Council Chair Phil Mendelson said ahead of the vote that the seven votes needed for passage were locked in, but admitted during a breakfast meeting the Commanders were “on edge.”
Ultimately, last-minute snags were not significant enough to stop the overwhelming momentum and support behind returning the Washington Commanders to the hallowed ground of RFK Stadium, where Washington’s NFL franchise experienced its glory days in the ’80s and early ’90s.
“I think we ended up in a place where we can all really be proud and I can’t wait to cut the ribbon in 2030 and see them play back here in Washington, D.C., but I’m hoping that we’ll get to a Super Bowl well before then. So thank you all, I appreciate it, and let’s bring the Commanders back home,” At-Large Council member Kenyan McDuffie said right before Wednesday’s vote.
The team moved to what’s now called Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, in 1997, and the current lease expires in 2027. The team is aiming to open the 2030 season in its new D.C. stadium.
“With the Council’s approval, we can now move forward on the transformative RFK project that will bring lasting economic growth for our city,” Commanders Managing Partner Josh Harris said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful for the warm return to the District and the center of the DMV, and look forward to officially bringing the team back to its spiritual home in 2030.”
As part of the deal, the Commanders have committed $2.7 billion, while D.C. is investing about $1 billion. Bowser has called it the largest private investment in D.C.’s history.
What’s being built
The centerpiece of the planned development at the 180-acre RFK Stadium campus is the new, 65,000-seat stadium, which will have a transparent or translucent roof and host events year-round, according to the current plans.
But the stadium will only occupy 11% of the site, according to the mayor’s office, and much more development is in store. The deal is expected to generate 5,000 to 6,000 housing units, at least 30% of which will be affordable housing. D.C. is also planning to build a new sportsplex near the existing Fields at RFK sports complex.
The Washington Commanders will also be responsible for developing land around the stadium to attract restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues.
D.C. officials have laid out a preliminary vision of five distinct districts as part of the campus: the stadium itself, an entertainment district supporting the stadium, a riverfront community with retail and restaurants, a housing and recreation community bordering Kingman Park, and a riverfront community commons anchored by the Anacostia River Trail.
How we got here
The Commanders have been searching for a new stadium site for years, with D.C., Maryland and Virginia all making pitches to the team. There was always hope among fans and D.C. leaders that a return to the RFK site would be possible, but there was a significant barrier — the land was owned by the federal government.
There’s also the issue of available land in D.C., so the team explored more readily available options. In 2022, the Commanders purchased 200 acres of land in Woodbridge, Virginia, and were reportedly eyeing a $3 billion stadium project there.
Staying at the current site in Landover, Maryland, with a new stadium and additional development has also been explored.
But the site many considered the crown jewel turned from dream to reality in late 2024, when, in a surprise move, Congress transferred control of the RFK campus from the federal government to D.C. That opened the floodgates for a deal to materialize — and it did in a matter of months.
The initial agreement was announced in April by Mayor Bowser and team leaders. Months of negotiations between the Commanders and the D.C. Council, which had the final say on approving the development project, have followed. Trump even chimed in, threatening to hold up the deal if the Commanders didn’t revert to their previous name. Nothing has come of that threat.
Council members and the team have been haggling over the terms of the deal, but the project looks largely the same.
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