• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Commanders Spend Big On Current Home While Planning New Stadium

  • The Washington Commanders plan to keep upgrading FedEx Field in the coming years.
  • Long term, Commanders owner Josh Harris is focused on building a new stadium.
Albert Cesare-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders are working on two stadiums, but one doesn’t exist yet.

That was the message from team owner Josh Harris, who recently provided some updates on the team’s current and future venue goals.

“We’re going to improve the existing stadium as much as we can while we look for a new home,” Harris said at Sports Business Journal’s Dealmakers conference in D.C.

Since purchasing the Commanders for an NFL-record $6.05 billion this summer, Harris and his ownership group have already committed $40 million for immediate upgrades to FedEx Field — and the franchise will likely keep spending to make an often criticized stadium a better place to watch an NFL game.

“We did as much as we could in six weeks,” Harris said, referencing the short time frame between closing on the team purchase in July and the start of this season. “But there’s a lot more work to do in the offseason.”

Harris knows the long-term answer is not FedEx Field: “We’re going to be looking at, ultimately, how do we move to a new stadium?”

Options to build a new venue in D.C., Virginia, or Maryland remain on the table, but Harris didn’t lay out a new timeline. In September, he told Front Office Sports that plenty of work was on the horizon. “We’re very early, very early,” Harris said at the time. “We’re beginning to create a real estate organization and just beginning to think about it.”

Through five home games this season, the 4-8 Commanders are 27th out of 32 teams in average home attendance, drawing just over 64,000 fans per game, about 94% of capacity at FedEx Field, which ranks 20th out of the NFL’s 30 stadiums in capacity.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Hymie Elhai

Jets Say Execs Tried to Sink Team President in Bumbling Conspiracy

The team says thousands of deleted text messages show the plot.
exclusive

Bud Selig: ‘Remarkable’ Brewers Run Can’t Mask MLB’s Money Divide

The former commissioner lauds his hometown team while raising economic concerns.

NFL and College Football TV Ratings Continue to Surge, Especially for CBS

The network’s singleheader coverage Sunday drew huge viewership.
Jonathan Gannon

Cardinals Fine Coach Jonathan Gannon $100K for Striking Player

Demercado made a costly mistake in the Cardinals’ loss to the Titans. 

Featured Today

Paul Cartier

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave Terrible Towels against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium
September 26, 2025

Steelers’ Irish Roots Are Deeper Than NFL Dublin Game

The Steelers have history and the foundation for a future in Ireland.
Nov 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of a Cleveland Browns helmet on a time out against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome.

Cleveland Takes New Shot at Blocking Browns’ $2.4B Stadium

A new lawsuit challenges a permit for the NFL team’s planned stadium.
Sep 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars forward Adam Erne (76) looks on during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center
exclusive
October 3, 2025

Dallas Stars Eyeing Possible Move to Plano in 2031

The team needs to figure out where they’ll play starting in 2031.
October 7, 2025

Rays Owner Eyes New ‘Forever Home’ Like Atlanta’s Battery

The club’s new owners target a new ballpark opening in 2029.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
Chicago Bears stadium rendering
October 1, 2025

Bears Want $855M in Public Money for Suburban Stadium

The NFL team details an updated ask for public money.
September 29, 2025

A’s Unveil Sacramento Jerseys As Vegas Development Advances

The club unveils an alternate “Sacramento” jersey as Las Vegas plans advance.
Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Nabers was carted off the field with an injury after the play.
September 29, 2025

Malik Nabers’s Torn ACL Rekindles NFL’s Grass vs. Turf Debate

The Giants star tore his ACL on MetLife Stadium’s artificial surface.
September 25, 2025

NYCFC’s New $780M Queens Stadium Comes With Jab at Red Bulls

The MLS club progresses on developing its new stadium in Queens, N.Y.