Late Senate vote approves RFK site plan as Commanders pursue stadium

ByJOHN KEIM
December 21, 2024, 11:09 AM

A week full of wild swings for the Washington Commanders’ pursuit of a stadium in the District of Columbia ended with another twist — and what one person involved called a Hail Mary — that elevates the likelihood of the team returning to the city.

Early Saturday morning, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill by unanimous consent that would allow the federal government to lease more than 170 acres of land to the district at the site where RFK Stadium resides. It greatly increases the chances of the Commanders building a new stadium at the site, although more hurdles remain before that’s a reality.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has said the district plans to build more housing and a recreation center on the grounds. She has been aggressive in her pursuit of the Commanders, who have been looking for a new stadium site for several years.

“This is a win for DC, for our region, and for America,” Bowser posted on X. “Everybody loves a good comeback story – and that’s DC’s story. #OurRFK”

The first step to a new stadium in D.C. was having the federal government lease the land back to the city for another 99 years. The district has another 14 years on its current lease, but that was not a long enough time to secure the necessary funding for projects.

On Tuesday, a provision to transfer the land was included in a continuing resolution spending bill before Congress, fueling hopes for Washington to pursue a stadium in the district. Those hopes were dashed when the provision was removed Thursday. Although that bill failed to pass, a new one that still excluded this transfer provision did pass Friday.

That left the Commanders and the district pondering a next step that could have included waiting until Congress returned for a new session. Instead, the Senate passed the bill around 1:15 a.m. Saturday. The bill, which the House passed in February, still must be signed into law by President Joe Biden.

“We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington D.C. the opportunity to decide on the future of the RFK stadium site,” Commanders owner Josh Harris said in a statement. “This bill will create an equal 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 NFL called the vote “an important breakthrough” in a statement, adding: “Washington, D.C., will now have a long-overdue seat at the table when it comes to the location of a new Commanders stadium.”

There is no federal funding involved in the bill. On Wednesday, Elon Musk, an adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, reposted misinformation on X that included a headline stating Congress was giving the district $3 billion to build a stadium. That led to a rebuke from Bowser over a bill that was always just about extending the lease.

Now that the provision has passed in the Senate, Bowser can start negotiating with the Commanders about a stadium. Washington played at RFK Stadium from 1961 to 1996 before moving to Maryland.

The organization played in five Super Bowls and won three while playing at the RFK site, fueling an emotional attachment among the fan base that lingers. It has been the preferred destination for the Commanders and Harris, who grew up a fan of the franchise and bought the team from Dan Snyder in July 2023.

Bowser told ESPN earlier this month that “there were a lot of objections raised to the previous ownership and the direction they took the team. That’s almost forgotten, I would say. The spirit of winning is also good.”

Washington has a contract with Maryland to play at Northwest Stadium until early in the 2027 season, but because the team owns the stadium and the land, it can extend the deal until a new stadium is built. Harris has said he would like to have a new stadium by 2030.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has repeatedly stated his desire to have the team stay in Landover, so there’s no guarantee the Commanders will leave — although one source said the odds for the district have greatly increased.

Still, any deal with the city involving public funds must be approved by the D.C. Council, which in the past has been split on the topic.

The Commanders previously provided Maryland’s senators with a written assurance that they would develop the 200 acres of land they own in Landover, Maryland, the site of their current stadium, if they do indeed leave. That helped persuade Maryland’s senators to grant their approval, a necessary step.

The bill was a product of Bowser and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., working together to garner support.

“The Senate’s passage of the D.C. RFK Stadium Campus Revitalization Act is a historic moment for our nation’s capital,” Comer said in a statement. “If Congress failed to act today, this decaying land in Washington would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune to maintain. Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a top economic priority for the city, and I am proud to have partnered with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to get this bill across the finish line and to the President’s desk.”

The news continues a season of revitalization for the franchise. The Commanders are 9-5 and currently hold the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC. They have found a young quarterback in rookie Jayden Daniels to build around with an energetic coach in Dan Quinn and a revamped front office led by general manager Adam Peters.

Indeed, it was Daniels who completed the first Hail Mary for the team this season with a 52-yard throw on the final play of the game against the Chicago Bears in October.

Saturday morning, they received another one.