Commanders, D.C. mayor announce stadium deal to bring NFL franchise back to RFK site

The NFL could be coming back to the District. The Washington Commanders announced a deal with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday to build a glitzy new arena on the site of the old RFK Stadium. 

The financial terms of the deal were not immediately available on Monday morning. Previous reports attached a $3 billion price tag to the project, with the bulk of the funds coming from Commanders owner Josh Harris.

Ms. Bowser has long been adamant about plans to lure the team back to the District. Any deal has to be approved by the city council, though, which may be an uphill battle.

“My position has been that there should not be public dollars — the D.C. treasury should not be paying toward a stadium,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told The Washington Post earlier this month.

For years, the mayor’s plan for the site has featured a mixed-use development. Her vision includes affordable housing, parking garages and hotels. The popular “Fields at RFK,” recreational fields along the Anacostia River, will also be preserved alongside any new construction, Ms. Bowser has said.

The city’s slashed budget is a complicating factor, though. Federal lawmakers cut $1 billion out of the District’s budget in the middle of the fiscal year, forcing Bowser to revamp her budget proposal for fiscal 2026.

Ms. Bowser has not said how the stadium plans factor into the city’s financial plans, though further details are expected on Monday afternoon.

A last-minute legislative adjustment in December gave the District a 99-year lease for the 174-acre site that still hosts a decaying RFK Stadium. The Commanders — then known as the Redskins — played their home games at the nostalgic venue from 1961 through 1996.

The site also hosted the Washington Nationals and D.C. United, though it hasn’t been used for a public sporting event since 2017.

Due to concerns about hazardous materials, the demolition process has required a piecemeal approach for the last three years. Construction accelerated again this year with the new lease.

Events DC, which operates the site and the surrounding “Fields at RFK,” said construction workers would start removing the exterior cladding this month. Officials have said the process will likely continue through the latter half of 2026.

Ms. Bowser has previously said that crews could finish a new stadium on the site with two years of work after the demolition.

Commanders owner Josh Harris has said he hopes to open a new stadium before the 2030 NFL season. The Commanders’ lease at their current home — Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland — expires in 2027. However, the franchise owns the stadium and can easily extend the lease while it constructs a new home.

Ms. Bowser has advocated for the franchise to return to the city for years, while Maryland officials have urged the team to build a new home near its current stadium in Landover.

The Commanders have played their home games in Maryland since vacating RFK Stadium after the 1996 season.

Northwest Stadium is widely considered one of the worst venues in the NFL. Critics point out its lack of character, aging infrastructure and inconvenient location about one mile from the nearest Metro station.

Its lackluster reputation further deteriorated when a pipe leaked water onto the seats in 2021. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts called on the NFL to intervene after a railing collapsed near the visitors’ tunnel, causing several fans to fall onto the field.

Harris inherited the stadium from former owner Dan Snyder when he bought the Commanders in 2023. The ownership group has spent millions of dollars renovating the site with new suites and amenities.

Despite the investments, Harris said in February that finding a new stadium would be a priority for the franchise this offseason.

Residents in Kingman Park, the neighborhood surrounding the RFK Stadium site, have voiced their opposition to a new stadium for more than a year. They have expressed concerns about traffic and said they’d rather the site be used for affordable housing, grocery stores and green space.