04/28/25 10:19:00
Printable Page
04/28 10:17 CDT Commanders and Washington agree to a deal to build at RFK
Stadium site, a nearly $4 billion project
Commanders and Washington agree to a deal to build at RFK Stadium site, a
nearly $4 billion project
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
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 a new stadium as part of a project totaling nearly
$4 billion.
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 site the old RFK Stadium, the place the franchise called home for more
than three decades. It would open in 2030, with groundbreaking expected next
year, pending D.C. City Council approval.
The Commanders are contributing $2.7 billion, with the city investing roughly
$1.1 billion over the next eight years for the stadium, housing, green space
and a sportsplex on 170 acres of land bordering the Anacostia River. The
stadium itself will take up just 16 of those acres.
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 the Commanders home," Theismann said. "The time is now. Let's
bring Washington back to D.C."
City and team officials along with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell unveiled the
plans at an event at the National Press Club in front of a backdrop reading,
"Welcome home." Mambo Sauce's "Welcome to DC" blared from speakers as Goodell,
Bowser and controlling owner Josh Harris entered to cheers.
Commanders ownership 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 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.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
|
