It has been nearly a month since taking control of the Washington Commanders, but Josh Harris is quickly helping the franchise rebound its financial fortunes.
Harris led a group to purchase the Commanders for $6.05 billion from Dan Snyder, a deal that secured owner approval on July 20. The team has already surpassed total ticket and suite revenue compared to 2022, and the Commanders won’t host their first preseason game until Monday.
On Wednesday, the franchise announced their first corporate partnership under new management. Anheuser-Busch — which had departed as a sponsor in March 2022 — returned as the team’s official beer sponsor as new multiyear deal was announced on Thursday.
Verizon will be the Commanders’ official 5G network under a deal that will lead to improvements to FedEx Field, the latest signal the franchise’s revenue streams that languished under prior owner Dan Snyder could be rebounding.
Harris is planning millions of improvements to FedEx Field in Landover, Md., although Verizon’s announced upgrades to the stadium won’t be fully in place until 2024. Verizon has been a longtime NFL partner.
The Commanders haven’t had a sponsorship deal with a mobile carrier for several years, and team had had some high-profile brand defections under Snyder.
The controversies — and investigations — in Snyder’s final years as owner not only impacted the sponsorship landscape for the franchise. The team’s efforts toward a new stadium also stalled before Snyder put the team on the market in November.
The team is still subject to a couple investigations launched before Snyder’s departure. That includes one the Virginia Attorney General led, which Front Office Sports confirmed Wednesday remains ongoing.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Aug. 17 with the Anheuser-Busch announcement.
