The Washington Commanders and the District of Columbia are in talks on a potential $3 billion deal to build the team’s next home on the site of its former field, RFK Stadium, DailyMail.com has confirmed.
A source familiar with the talks stressed to DailyMail.com that no deal has been reached, but described negotiations as ‘progressing.’
The news was first reported by NBC Washington. A team spokesman has since declined to comment on the story when contacted by DailyMail.com.
The Commanders will reportedly put up as much as $2.5 billion in the deal, while Washington DC is being tasked with raising $850 million.
The team has been looking for a new stadium for several years, and that search moved to a new level when Josh Harris’ group bought the Commanders from previous owner Dan Snyder in 2023.
Places in Washington, Virginia and Maryland have all been under consideration. The site of old RFK Stadium is believed to be the preferred destination. The Washington NBC affiliate reported Wednesday that the team and D.C. government were close on an agreement to build there, with the framework of a deal north of $3 billion.
Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris has a laugh on the sidelines prior to a 2024 game
RFK Stadium is visible from Air Force One as it leaves Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland
A spokesperson for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declined comment. A message sent to the Commanders seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Getting back to the franchise’s former home is a path that included Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill in December to pᴀss legislation to transfer the 170-plus acres of land from the federal government to D.C.
It made it through Congress at the eleventh hour, and former President Joe Biden signed it into law in early January.
The Commanders’ lease at 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 kilometers) east of the 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 1982-1991.
