The Washington Commanders will have a new owner soon. After 24 years, Daniel Snyder is expected to sell the NFL franchise to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris.
The deal is not complete but has been sent to the NFL and is expected to be approved at some point in the near future.
With that in mind, the Commanders are clearly focused on finding a new home stadium, and the No. 1 contender remains the old RFK Stadium site in Washington, D.C.
Per Sam Fortier, Michael Brice-Saddler and Meagan Flynn of The Washington Post, the Commanders are lobbying the federal government to give the D.C. government control over the RFK Stadium site, paving the way for the city to reach a deal with the NFL franchise to bring them back to the nation’s capital.
In recent months, a group representing the Commanders — led by Dentons lobbyist Matthew Cutts and Commanders Vice President of Public Affairs Joe Maloney — has met with staff for the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, according to a spokesperson for the House committee and a spokesperson for Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who chairs the Senate committee.
If the sale goes through to Harris, it could prompt a bidding war between D.C., Maryland and Virginia for a potential new home for the Commanders. However, for D.C. to be the choice, it would need control over the land, which the federal government owns and leases to Events DC — the District’s sports and entertainment authority.
As the Post noted, the natural resources committee has jurisdiction over land transfers, which would be critical in Washington’s efforts to gain control of the land. The current lease runs through 2038 and restricts the land’s usage to sports, entertainment and recreation, which would prevent the Commanders from creating the development they’ve envisioned for Maryland and Virginia.
The Commanders would like to resemble The Battery in Atlanta. Not only did the Braves build a new ballpark [Truist Park], but The Battery operates like a mini-city outside of the baseball stadium and is viewed as the future of professional sports stadiums. The Battery features dining, shopping, entertainment and lodging.
D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser has lobbied publicly for the Commanders to return to the city, noting that obstacles remain, which mostly consist of the federal government owning the land.
The Commanders returning to D.C. was not an option if Snyder owned the team. Now with a sale expected, the path is much clearer for the NFL franchise to return home if other issues are resolved.