By SAPNA BANSIL
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Amid a jurisdictional tug-of-war over the future home of the Washington Commanders, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Wednesday struck an assured posture on his state’s ability to keep the team in Prince George’s County.
“I’m very confident we’re going to put together the most attractive offer for them,” Moore said in an interview with Capital News Service. “I wish I could predict what they’ll do. But I can tell you the thing I do know is no one is going to put together a better package than the state of Maryland.”
Moore did not mention any rival locales by name, but he did allude to the political divisions that tanked other recent stadium deals in the region.
“We’re unified,” Moore said. “There is no daylight between the state leadership, local leadership, federal delegation, et cetera – no daylight. I don’t know if there’s any other jurisdiction that can make that same claim. And I think that that does and should matter to [the Commanders.]”
The Commanders, for their part, are also in active discussion with two other locations – D.C. and Virginia – about potential stadium opportunities there, a team spokesperson told CNS this week. The team is seeking a replacement for its dilapidated home in Landover, regarded as one of the worst venues in the NFL. The Commanders are bound by a covenant to play there through September 2027.
In Maryland, state and local officials have made financial commitments to entice the Commanders to stay. The state has already committed $400 million to turn underdeveloped land around four Metrorail stations in Prince George’s County into a mixed-use entertainment district.
“The amenities that we’re building are certainly community oriented, but I think it also helps the case of creating an active stadium district for the Commanders to stay in,” said Angie Rodgers, the county’s deputy chief administrative officer for economic development.
In addition to the money from the state, the project has received an additional $100 million in public funds and attracted $2 billion in private investment, according to Rodgers.
“We’re making it really hard for the Commanders to say no to us,” Rodgers said.
Still, many fans would like to see the franchise return to D.C., where it played before relocating to suburban Maryland in 1997. Fans associate the District and the organization’s former home at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium with the team’s Super Bowl-winning glory years of the 1980s and 1990s.
D.C.’s bid comes with complications. Its proposal is currently tied up in the U.S. Congress, where a bill that would give the city authority to redevelop RFK Stadium is awaiting action in the Senate.
Another factor is the $515 million D.C. committed to renovating the downtown arena that hosts the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards, following a failed bid by the teams’ owners, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, to relocate the franchises to northern Virginia. The deal raises questions as to how much money might be left over for a Commanders stadium, though the team says it will continue pursuing its options.
“The Commanders remain equally engaged with all three jurisdictions on a new stadium,” team spokesperson Jean Medina said. “The District has made clear retaining the Capitals and Wizards does not affect their approach, nor does it affect ours.”
As for Virginia, it’s not yet clear what the fallout might be from its foiled effort to bring in the Capitals and Wizards. In December, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced an agreement with Monumental Sports on a new arena for the teams, but the deal died a few months later in the state legislature.
One Maryland lawmaker believes his state’s position on the Commanders is now stronger in the wake of that failure.
“I think that the decision in Virginia to not bring the Monumental Sports team over there sends a signal that Virginia has other plans for their economic development,” said Del. Jazz Lewis, D-Prince George’s, whose district includes the current Commanders stadium.
The offices of Youngkin and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser did not respond to requests for comment.
In a sweeping interview with CNS in his office conference room, Moore reflected on the recent developments regarding the Capitals and Wizards and said they “didn’t impact my confidence or desire” to retain the Commanders.
“I’m a fan of the Commanders being in Prince George’s County,” he said. “And I think we have a real vision as to what that can be and what that looks like.”
Steven Jacobs Jr. contributed reporting to this story.
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