DC Council chair reaches deal on RFK move, sources tell WUSA9

The Commanders did not respond to a request for comment.

Example video title will go here for this video

Example video title will go here for this video

To stream WUSA9 on your phone, you need the WUSA9 app.

WASHINGTON — DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson has reached a deal with the Commanders on an amended stadium agreement, which he will put before the Council in a vote within days of next week’s public hearings, sources tell WUSA9.

The Commanders did not respond to a request for comment regarding the deal.

The agreed changes between the DC Council and the Commanders are still unclear. When asked about the negotiations, Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder, who represents the area where the RFK stadium site sits, responded, "We are in ongoing negotiations."

Mendelson, along with several other councilmembers, have previously expressed their concerns about the stadium deal, including a $1.1 billion price tag, as well as possible hidden costs of the stadium deal.

"This is what I support: getting the deal done," Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Wednesday when asked about potential changes to the deal with the NFL team. "If there is something that needs to be changed, lets change it."

Within the past week, Council concerns have translated into consequences for D.C., as the exclusivity clause binding the deal to the District and RFK expired on July 15, bringing Maryland and Virginia off the bench for negotiations.

A council-commissioned report also claimed to have found several risks involved in moving the Commanders back to RFK, including uncertain maintenance and a lack of a comprehensive safety plan.

Name change?

Another complicating factor was the recent involvement of President Donald Trump, who said Sunday he might block the deal if the Commanders didn't return to their former name.

But D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has remained steadfast in her support for the deal -- name change or not.

Bowser told WUSA9 on Monday that she would continue to support the stadium deal even if Trump forces the team to revert to its former name, which many found racist toward Native Americans.

Speaking at a press event, Bowser sidestepped questions about how realistic Trump's threat is to block the $1.1 billion stadium deal if the team doesn't return to its old name. Instead, she called on DC Council to expedite approval of the agreement.

"What I'm concerned about is we haven't done our part and so we need to complete our part so that the team can get to work so that local businesses can get hired so that we can start earning the tax revenue that will come when we deliver the commanders stadium," Bowser said.

When pressed directly about whether a name change would alter her support for bringing the stadium to the RFK site, Bowser was emphatic: "No, it wouldn't" ─ a significant shift from her previous position.

For years, Bowser said she wouldn't support the football team's return to the District under the old name, which was changed in 2020.

And the threat from Trump wasn't an empty one.

The president has three ways he could potentially kill the deal: executive action canceling the federal lease, influencing the National Capital Planning Commission which casts critical votes on D.C. construction projects, and the Commission of Fine Arts which reviews design of all District construction. Trump recently appointed new board members to both federal commissions.

3 ways Trump can kill RFK Deal:

1. Executive Action cancelling lease

2. National Capital Planning Commission. Casts critical votes on construction projects including RFK

3. Commission of Fine Arts. Reviews design of all DC construction

Trump just appointed board members for 2,3 — Eric Flack (@EricFlackTV) July 21, 2025

Trump said the Washington football team would be “much more valuable” if it restored its old name.

Councilmember Robert White told WUSA9 that he views the president's comments as a distraction since the name change debate was settled years ago

Mendelson also said Monday that the name change was not what he is focused on.

“I am focused on getting the best deal for District taxpayers," he said. "I have heard from no – zero – District residents, complaining about the name change or saying this is an issue in connection with the stadium."

House Oversight Committee involvement

Other Republicans have also put pressure on the Council. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Mendelson last Thursday urging the DC Council chairman to approve the bill by August, so that the U.S. House can approve the deal.

"The Committee was disappointed to see the council's vote on the stadium deal delayed, particularly given the significant economic benefits at stake and the clear mandate provided by federal legislation," Comer wrote after the exclusivity clause expired. "The removal of the stadium's authorizing language from the D.C. budget has given cause for concern since it would unnecessarily delay the ultimate use of the 174 acres of currently underutilized federal property."

The Commanders and the District of Columbia government announced a deal earlier this year to build a new home for the football team at the site the old RFK Stadium, the place the franchise called home for more than three decades.

The DC Council's first public hearing on the RFK stadium site has been scheduled for July 29. Seven out of 12 DC councilmembers are needed to vote in favor of the move in order for the Commanders to make their return to RFK.

The team has been housed at Northwest Stadium in Prince George's County since 1997.

Click here to read article