Home Sweet Home for the Washington Commanders in 2030 as D.C. signs agreement on $3.7 billion stadium project

Written by: Henry Quach 🇻🇳

Owner Josh Harris signing a Commanders helmet after announcing the $3.7 million deal (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images).

In 1997, a failed lease renewal and complicated plans to build a new stadium for the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium forced the Washington Commanders to relocate to a brand-new home in Landover, MD. 

Thirty-three years later, the Washington Commanders are finally returning home to Washington, D.C.

Ever since the move to Northwest, the stadium has had many incidents. Away fans were filling up the seats due to bad team performances, complaints of poor field management, which caused major leg injuries to players, were made, sewage pipes leaked, a fence almost landed on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and lastly, parking would take hours to leave. 

It didn’t feel like a home-game environment for the Washington Commanders. That sparked the idea for current Commanders owner Josh Harris. 

Harris first bought the Washington Commanders in 2023 after years of poor ownership by the previous group and had the big task of revitalizing the Commanders franchise both on and off the field. 

So far, Harris has done the job properly to revive the Commanders franchise, as they improved in NFLPA rankings, implemented stadium upgrades and more importantly, built the relationship back with D.C. officials. Those were the critical goals that were resolved in just two seasons.

During the last NFL season, there was fear that the government would demolish the RFK Stadium site to allow open space for new development of parks and housing. This was until a last-minute overnight vote occurred with D.C. leaders to save the site and allow full control for the Commanders to start their new stadium project.

This paved a potential home option for the Washington Commanders, as Harris made it clear that they would soon leave Northwest Stadium once the lease is over in 2027. 

On April 28, 2025. Harris’s ownership struck a deal with the city for the Commanders to invest $2.7 billion and the city $1 billion for the RFK Stadium project after months of talks. 

However, on July 20, there was a scare in the process of bringing the Commanders home.

President Donald Trump threatened the Commanders to return to their old name as the Redskins, despite it being changed in 2020 due to sponsors threatening to no longer sell any merchandise and/or become business partners with the team. The name was also a controversy before the business threats. 

During the last two months, the D.C. Council paved the way for voting for the RFK project to officially start after public hearings were held. It passed with a 9-3 vote in favor of the Commanders in August. 

However, there were last-minute demands that delayed the passed project. Public investment and many other concerns spread quickly after the first voting and it delayed the start of the project. 

After a long proposal with the D.C. Council, on September 17, Harris and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser reached an agreement to continue the $3.7 billion project to allow the Commanders to return home in 2030. 

RFK Stadium mainly held sporting events and concerts with more significance than those of Northwest Stadium, such as the 1994 FIFA World Cup. 

The city hopes to rebuild those opportunities.

This is a historical moment for all Washington Commanders fans. This stadium has held so many famous moments, but more importantly, the passion, energy, and winning culture that the Commanders once had.

Now the countdown begins for the return of the Washington Commanders at RFK Stadium.