The path for the NFL’s Washington Commanders to return to the nation’s capital is clear after a saga in Congress ended early Saturday with a postponement after midnight.
The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution to transfer the land, including the old RFK Stadium, from the federal government to the District of Columbia. The DC Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act was passed by voice vote at approximately 1:15 a.m. after more than a year of lobbying and support from Rep. James Comer, County Mayor Muriel Bowser, commanders who control owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington, DC, the opportunity to decide the future of the RFK Stadium site,” Harris said. “This bill will create a level playing field so that all potential future locations for the home of the Washington Commanders can be fairly considered and give our franchise the opportunity to provide the best experience for all of our fans.”
The RFK Stadium ground facility was part of Congress’ initial short-term relief bill on Tuesday before it was torpedoed by newly elected US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of whom amplified disinformation about the site on his social media platform the House of Representatives’ slimmed-down bill, including the one passed Friday evening to prevent a government shutdown, did not include this.
By giving the local government control of the land for the next 99 years, the rotting shell of the old stadium can be demolished and the site redeveloped for a variety of purposes. One of the possibilities is a football stadium and surrounding entertainment venues in the former home of the franchise.
“We appreciate the bipartisan group of congressional leaders who made this important breakthrough possible,” the NFL said in a statement. “Washington DC will now be at the table much sooner when it comes to the location of a new Commanders stadium.”
Bowser called it “a victory for DC, for our region and for America.”
“Everyone loves a good comeback story – and that’s DC’s story,” she said.
All that awaits is US President Joe Biden’s signature to become law, which could come as early as Saturday. Comer went so far as to say that the Senate’s passage of the bill is “a historic moment for our nation’s capital.”
“If Congress does not act today, sustaining this rotting Washington country would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune,” he said. “Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a top economic priority for the city. … This bipartisan success is a testament to the House Oversight Committee’s continued efforts to protect taxpayers and our full commitment to ensuring a capital that is prosperous for residents and visitors for generations to come.”
Playing in Washington again is not a certainty. The Commanders are also considering building stadiums in other places in the district, Maryland and Virginia, in the coming years.
Their lease on Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland runs through 2027. Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new stadium.
The team played at RFK Stadium, 2 miles (3.22 km) east of the Capitol, from 1961 to 1996 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.
Ein said on social media: “There are still many steps to go and even bigger than a possible stadium. Last night’s bill was an extraordinary moment of bipartisan and regional cooperation to do something big and important and secure 174 hectares of unused, blighted and critical land. to DC so they can bring it back to life.
Part of how the provision ended up in the bill initially involved an agreement between the team and Maryland to demolish the current stadium in a timely manner and redevelop the site with a project of equal economic impact, a person with knowledge of the matter said. situation to The Associated Press earlier this week on condition of anonymity because the deal was not publicized.
After the Senate gave the green light to the land transfer of RFK Stadium, Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both Democrats, said they continued to believe their state’s partnership with the team should last well into the future continue.
“After working to level the playing field and receiving assurances that if the team were to relocate, they would redevelop the existing site in a way that meets the needs of the community, we tonight supported the proposed land transfer legislation,” said Cardin and Van Hollen. . “We have always supported the District’s efforts to gain control of its own land, and regional discussions and cooperation have addressed our concerns about this proposal.”
The team has played games in Maryland since 1997 and trains in Ashburn, Virginia, not far from Dulles International Airport.
A return to the District would be another victory for Bowser, who on Thursday celebrated the start of an $800 million renovation of the downtown arena that will keep the NBA’s Wizards and NHL’s Capitals in town. At that press conference, she targeted Musk for sharing incorrect information on X, formerly Twitter, about taxpayers footing the bill for a new stadium.
The bill specifically prohibits the use of federal funds for an on-site stadium, “including training facilities, offices and other structures necessary to support a stadium.”