Commanders may return to D.C. after RFK Stadium bill shockingly passes

Oct 22, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Fan tailgate outside Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium prior to the game between New York Red Bulls and D.C. United. It is the final game at RFK Stadium Washington Commanders. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders have called FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland home since 1997 but they may finally be headed back to D.C.

Early on Saturday morning, following several days of back-and-forth negotiations, the RFK Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, which calls for the renovation of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, passed Senate and was sent to the desk of President Joe Biden. He is expected to sign it into law.

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RFK STADIUM LEGISLATION PASSES SENATE AND HEADS TO THE PRESIDENT’S DESK.

The Senate just passed my bipartisan D.C. RFK Stadium Campus Revitalization Act.

If Congress failed to pass my RFK stadium legislation, this decaying land in D.C. would continue to cost taxpayers…

— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) December 21, 2024

All 100 U.S. Senators unanimously agreed to pass the legislation, giving Washington D.C. control of the more than 170 acres of federal property for the next 99 years. It was a rare moment of unity for those in government.

Once renovated, the Commanders would be free to return to the District in 2027 when their FedEx Field lease runs out.

As Congress negotiated and renegotiated a spending bill over the past several days, the RFK Stadium Campus Revitalization Act was put in and taken out multiple times. As of Friday night, it appeared dead in the water until the shocking early-morning news.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been vocal about her desire to see the Washington franchise return home and she garnered support on both sides of the aisle, even including those in Landover. The calls for the Commanders to return to D.C. grew especially loud following the team’s sale from former owner Daniel Snyder.

The Commanders, who were previously known as the Washington Redskins, played at RFK Stadium from 1961 through 1996.