Commanders Look Back to RFK Roots in New $3.8B Stadium Design

The Commanders are going back to the future for their forthcoming $3.8 billion stadium and mixed-use development at the site of its former home, RFK Stadium.

The NFL team released its updated vision for the project, four months after securing local legislative approval for a funding package that will provide about $1.1 billion in public money. More than just a rendering release, though, the latest graphics detail an effort to tap heavily into the team’s past while also building a next-generation domed venue.

Made for D.C.

The new, HKS-designed plan features a sloped exterior and roof that resembles the iconic, Pringles-like shape of RFK Stadium, the team’s home from 1961 to 1996. The updated design also bears some similarity to the new Highmark Stadium, the forthcoming venue for the Bills that will open later this year. The colonnade that will ring the exterior of the new Commanders stadium also links to the many monuments in the District of Columbia. The main entryways will be on the same axis as the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol, aligning fully with the city master plan laid out in 1791 by French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant. 

The roof will be translucent to mimic the feel of an open-air stadium, but the domed element will enable Washington to bid for major events such as the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff, and Final Four. 

HKS has also designed many other newer NFL facilities, including SoFi Stadium in California, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota, and AT&T Stadium in Texas.

Commanders president Mark Clouse called the latest design “a defining milestone in the next phase of the development process.” 

The stadium, set to open in 2030, will be surrounded by a large-scale development with housing, green space, recreational elements, retail, and office space.

RFK Stadium is now well along in the demolition process to make way for the new venue. The Commanders are part of an accelerating wave of stadium efforts around the NFL, one that includes the forthcoming venues for the Bills and Titans, opening in 2026 and 2027, respectively, and ones planned for the Browns, Broncos, Chiefs, and potentially, the Bears. Others, such as the Eagles, are considering new venues as well.