Chiefs See Another Week Bring More Clarity on Another Stadium

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Another NFL team on Wednesday solidified its stadium plans. And while several NFL teams are taking critical steps toward laying foundations for their future kingdoms, Chiefs Kingdom remains curious and uncertain.

The District of Columbia Council on Wednesday voted 11-2 to approve legislation allowing the Washington Commanders to build a new venue on the site of the franchise’s former home, RFK Stadium.

“It is with great pride,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement Wednesday, “that I can say we are officially bringing our Commanders home and turning 180 acres of land on the banks of the Anacostia, on the monumental axis, into jobs and opportunity for DC residents.

“This will be the largest economic development project in DC history.”

Jan 31, 1988; San Diego, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams (17) looks to throw against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XXII at Jack Murphy Stadium. Washington defeated Denver 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-Imagn Images | Manny Rubio-Imagn Images

The Washington plans

Bowser and new Commanders owner Josh Harris hammered out the plans this spring. The structure of the deal includes $2.7 billion in team contributions and approximately $1.1 billion from the city. Development plans call for housing, green space and a sports complex, in addition to a sparkling new home for Jayden Daniels and the team.

I would like to thank Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for her outstanding leadership and the D.C. Council for their support for the new RFK Stadium Redevelopment. Not only am I excited that this will be the new home for the Washington Commanders, but I am even more thrilled…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 17, 2025

RFK Stadium served as the Redskins’ home from 1961-96. It also hosted Washington Senators and Nationals Major League Baseball games, college football and most recently the D.C. United of Major League Soccer. Now, six years after it closed in 2019, crews are demolishing the facility.

Sep 7, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs the ball as New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter (51) defends during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien each led the franchise to Super Bowl victories while playing in RFK Stadium. Wednesday’s vote means the team can make plans to move into its new home in time for the 2030 season.

Chiefs can meet with Commanders next month

And while the Chiefs won’t see the new DC stadium for a long time – they’re next scheduled to visit the Commanders in 2029, and likely eight years after that – Clark Hunt and Mark Donovan have a prime opportunity to meet with Harris next month.

The Commanders will visit Arrowhead Stadium on Monday Night Football in Week 8, Oct. 27. By then, perhaps the Chiefs will have made their own announcement. The ball is currently in the court of the team, which is contemplating competing deals on the table – one calling for a new indoor stadium in Wyandotte County, Kansas, the other a massive renovation of their current home.

Mark Donovan, Clark Hunt — Feb 14, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan (left) and owner Clark Hunt during the celebration of the Chiefs winning Super Bowl LVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Both states involved, Kansas and Missouri, have approved significant funding plans. All the Chiefs need to do now is pick. But Donovan said the decision isn’t easy.

“There’ve been so many days,” the team president said Aug. 24, “when you walk out of meetings saying, 'We're good, this is the path we're going. And then the next day, it's like, ‘Yeah, except for this, this and this we have to get done.’ Then you go back to the other side and say, ‘OK, can we do this?' There's a lot of starts and stops.”

The process might fewer stops now that three NFL teams since the start of 2025 season have made significant stadium announcements. The Bears and Broncos both announced future stadium sites earlier this month, joining the Commanders. All three teams are expected to be in their new homes by September, 2031.

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