NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave one of his strongest public statements in support of the Washington Commanders moving back to Washington, D.C.
Goodell’s comments come after Washington regained control of the abandoned RFK Stadium grounds, in hopes they can entice the team to rebuild their home base there once their current lease in Landover, Maryland, expires in 2027.
“I remember that as a kid growing up, the power of that vision and what it means to that community,” Goodell said during a wide-ranging press conference in New Orleans ahead of the Super Bowl. “It’s a really powerful thing. So if it turns out that that is the best alternative, it could be a great thing.”
Goodell added that a new stadium at the RFK Stadium site would be “a huge economic driver,” adding that the team returning to the District to a new home with monuments and the U.S. Capitol in its view “would be great for our nation.”
Goodell grew up the son of former Sen. Charles Goodell of New York, noting he has memories of watching the team play at first at Griffith Stadium, then at RFK, while growing up.
“It’s important for the team to play in an area that is beneficial for the fans. It’s going to be beneficial for those communities, and it’s going to be beneficial to the team,” Goodell said.
“I’m also a kid who grew up in Washington, D.C., going to RFK Stadium, and I remember that experience. When I see that stadium site today — I went by it when I was down in Washington in December — and, frankly, it was really disappointing. It made me sad to see that area, and how the stadium looks today and how the community looks,” he continued.
The Commanders are in regular contact with Maryland and D.C. officials about the future of the team. They are contractually obligated to play their home games at Northwest Stadium, which the team owns, until September 2027.
Goodell lobbied for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, which Congress passed with bipartisan support in December, to transfer ownership of the area back to D.C. He and the team’s relative owner, Josh Harris, have both cited their fond memories of watching the team play in the District as part of their support in moving the team.
At an end-of-season news conference in Ashburn, Virginia, Harris said moving the team to D.C. would be the most viable option due to its central location in the D.C., Maryland, Virginia region and its history there.
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“It’s the location that, when we do surveys, is the most acceptable,” Harris said. “That doesn’t mean that there’s not a lot of support in Maryland, a lot of support in Virginia. There is, but obviously, D.C. is kind of aligned with the history and happens to be the easiest place to get to for the most number of fans.”
After the Commanders lost the NFC championship, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday in New Orleans.