The Washington Commanders are still on schedule to play at the RFK Stadium site starting in 2030. But that move-in date is starting to be in jeopardy.
A tiff between the the Washington, D.C. city council and mayor Muriel Bowser’s office has put a self-appointed July 15 deadline in jeopardy, and the city council needs to approve stadium funding as the final step of making the new Commanders stadium a reality.
Washington has played at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland since 1997, but the city and the Commanders announced an agreement for them to move back to the site of RFK Stadium — where they played from 1961-96 — starting in 2030.
But bureaucracy in Washington is putting that deal in doubt.
How Are The Commanders Trying To Expedite The Stadium-Funding Process?
Washington’s timeline of opening at the RFK Stadium site by 2030 is already ambitious. But the Commanders are hoping to break ground on their new stadium by 2026, and any delay in funding could bump the opening day further — or at worst leave the deal in jeopardy.
Still, the Commanders have wanted to play at the RFK Stadium site, and the city is committed to making it happen — even if they are stuck in the middle of a battle between the council and mayor’s office.
“No one should infer from the introduction of this bill that funding in the Mayorâs proposed budget for the Washington Commanders football team is in jeopardy,â council chair Phil Mendelson said in the billâs introduction, according to WTOP. âCouncil members have said they support leaving the funding, as proposed by the mayor, in the budget.â
According to WTOP, Mendelson unveiled the RFK Campus Redevelopment Act of 2025, which separates Bowser’s Budget Support Act. Mendelson’s bill is designed to streamline the debate for the stadium-financing project so it does not get caught up in the regular budget debate.
Unsurprisingly, the Commanders are fully on board with playing ball with the D.C. government.
âThis is about more than just a stadium: itâs an investment in families, local workers, and long-term economic opportunity that will transform this community, District, and the region,” a team spokesperson told WTOP. “Any substantive delays ⦠will slow new jobs at a time when the District needs them the most.
“We are hopeful the Council will continue to work in an expedited way to approve this deal and deliver a significant win for the people of D.C.”
How Much Time Do The Commanders Have To Secure Funding?
The RFK Stadium site redevelopment, which includes housing, retail and the stadium, is slated to cost $3.7 billion. Owner Josh Harris has committed nearly $3 billion in private funds to make the deal happen, with about $1 billion kicked in from the federal government.
The RFK site is not without controversy, since voters in April launched a ballot initiative aimed at blocking public funds from being used on a football stadium.
The Commanders have been lobbying for a new D.C.-based stadium for more than a decade, since Daniel Snyder owned the team.
Still, according to WTOP, the Commanders reportedly do “not want to think about” the potential for July to pass without a stadium-funding vote. Even though the stadium funding is likely to pass, other sites would in both Virginia and Maryland would love to get the chance to host the Commanders.
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