Removal of RFK Stadium site clause from federal budget bill deals setback to Commanders and NFL

WASHINGTON — A key element aimed at shifting the ownership of the RFK Stadium site from federal jurisdiction to the District of Columbia has been excluded from the recently revised short-term spending bill that Congress is hurriedly working to finalize in order to avert a government shutdown.

This recent development poses a setback for the Washington Commanders, an NFL franchise that was hoping to explore the RFK Stadium site as a potential location for a new stadium. Team owner Josh Harris, along with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, had actively lobbied for the inclusion of this provision earlier this month, emphasizing its significance.

The changes to the legislation followed pushback from President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who criticized the initial proposal. This initial version of the bill had allocated control of the RFK Stadium land to the city for the next 99 years.

When approached for comments, a spokesperson for the team refrained from providing a statement. Additionally, efforts to reach representatives from the league and Representative James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky who originally introduced the legislation, did not result in immediate responses.

At a recent event marking the beginning of an $800 million renovation project for the downtown arena that serves as home to the NBA’s Wizards and the NHL’s Capitals, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the topic. She attempted to counter inaccurate reports circulating on Musk’s social media platform, X, about the financial implications of the RFK land transfer and articulated her arguments on why the move would benefit the city following extensive bipartisan negotiations.

“We’ve fulfilled our obligations, and this proposed vehicle has received agreement from both sides of the political aisle,” Bowser stated. “Have you been to RFK? Anyone? It spans 177 acres of land surrounded by asphalt and a stadium that has not seen use in over a decade, creating an eyesore in our nation’s capital. I concur with the President-elect: We must work to make our capital the most beautiful in the world; therefore, we need to liberate RFK.”

The Commanders are actively assessing potential stadium sites in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia as they plan for the future. Their current lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, is set to expire in 2027, with Harris indicating that aiming for a new stadium by 2030 is a “reasonable target.”

The Commanders played their home games at RFK Stadium, located just two miles east of the Capitol, from 1961 until 1996, at which point they relocated to Maryland. Harris and fellow co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, have fond memories of watching Washington football during that period, which included the team’s successful Super Bowl victories from 1982 to 1991.

It’s still uncertain how the team leadership will adapt to this setback and what implications this will have for an existing agreement with Maryland over the future of the RFK site if relocation plans proceed.