Maryland waiting on ‘public declaration’ from Commanders before stadium progress, lawmaker says

When the Washington Commanders’ quest for a new stadium ran into major roadblocks in Virginia and D.C. last week, the frontrunner for the team’s next building suddenly seemed to be the location it’s called home since 1997 — Landover, Maryland. 

But Maryland lawmakers aren’t exactly doing high-fives over the improved prospects of keeping the Commanders.

Instead, officials say the next move is up to the team. Del. Jazz Lewis, a Prince George’s County Democrat, told The Washington Times he and other state officials are now waiting for the Commanders to make a “public declaration” that they’re going to stay in Maryland before moving forward with stadium project talks.

Lewis said there is interest in keeping the Commanders at or near the existing FedEx Field site, but — like lawmakers in Virginia and the District — he added there’s been a growing “frustration” with the team’s never-ending controversies, along with what he feels is an attempt to pit the jurisdictions against each other for a new stadium.

“Everyone’s tired of the merry-go-round. Just make a commitment of what you’re going to do,” said Lewis, a key advocate of keeping the Commanders in Landover. “Stop pitting people against each other, because it’s not going to happen.”

Multiple lawmakers in Maryland, including Lewis, have said the state would not engage in a bidding war with Virginia to keep the Commanders. Now, it seems as if it could be a one-state race. 

“There’s no place for us to go back and forth here because we’re not bidding against anybody,” Lewis said. “If they want to stay and be a good partner, we’d love to have them.”

During a press conference last week, Gov. Larry Hogan said he doesn’t expect the state to make a renewed push to lure the Commanders to stay in Maryland, adding that he doesn’t think owner Dan Snyder and the team’s brass have better options than his state. 

The Maryland Legislature has already approved $400 million in bonds for Prince George’s County’s “Blue Line Corridor” project — an initiative aimed at boosting development along the Metro line. That money would go toward developing a sports-entertainment district in the area, but the funds would not help build a new stadium on the 200-acre FedEx site owned by Snyder.

“Look, the Commanders currently own a large property and a stadium in Prince George’s County,” said Hogan just hours after lawmakers in both Virginia and D.C. tabled efforts to build a stadium in their jurisdictions. “And as far as I know, currently, after that action in Virginia, there’s no potential place for them to go but to stay in Maryland, and we assume that they will.”

A majority of the D.C. Council voiced opposition to a new Commanders stadium on the old RFK site in the District. Meanwhile, in Virginia, the General Assembly killed a bill that would have cleared a path for a new Commanders stadium in the state — potentially in Woodbridge, where the franchise recently purchased an option to acquire 200 acres of land. 

The news last week came as the team was embroiled in its latest controversy, with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio calling the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol a “dust-up.” Del Rio later apologized for the remark and was fined $100,000 by the team. Del. Barry D. Knight, a Virginia Beach Republican who sponsored the House bill, told The Washington Times last week that Del Rio’s comment was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” 

Snyder is also being investigated by at least four different entities — Congress, the NFL and the attorneys general in both Virginia and the District — regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and financial improprieties. The Commanders have denied the accusations.

Lewis said the team’s stumble in Virginia is proof, in his mind, that “the grass isn’t always greener” on the other side of the state line. 

“No, I wasn’t surprised,” Lewis said about the franchise’s snag in Virginia. “With all of the other stuff going on with the team, I didn’t believe that was a route [the Virginia legislature] would go.”

The roadblock in Virginia means state lawmakers won’t be able to reconsider the stadium bill — if there is even still interest — until January, when the next legislative session begins. 

So, for now, Maryland is seemingly the only jurisdiction willing to make a deal with the Commanders, who didn’t respond to a request for comment. But Lewis said further stadium talks in Maryland will remain at a standstill until the team makes a commitment to stay in the state. 

Then, after that “declaration” is made, Lewis said there could be interest in discussing what more the state can provide the team as it prepares to build a new stadium in the next few years. The Commanders’ lease for the aging FedEx Field expires in 2027. 

“If the team said they were going to stay here, I’m sure many of my colleagues and county leaders would be open to having conversations,” Lewis said. “But I think at this point, since we’re the only ones who have actually put resources on the table, we need a declaration that folks are going to be a partner with us and be here before any conversations about anything else.”