Washington Commanders Owner Josh Harris Learning from Wizards and Capitals Failure?

The Washington Commanders need new facilities, and the Wizards and Capitals may have given Josh Harris a lot of lessons to lean on as he tries to secure their futures.

ORLANDO -- The Washington Commanders are in the midst of a process to 'recalibrate' their roster as general manager Adam Peters puts it, but they won't have the entire thing fully remodeled for at least a couple of years.

That's because there is a process to roster building that money and guidelines simply can't be cut through with the quickness some Commanders fans would prefer. So even with as much roster turnover as we're witnessing in year one, there could be just as much if not more in year two.

Even more patience will need to be shown by those in Washington who want a new stadium for their team sooner rather than later, as the situation surrounding the Washington Wizards (NBA) and Capitals (NHL) attempted moves out of D.C. have shown. Something managing partner Josh Harris was keeping a close eye on.

Josh Harris

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“We're super focused on that, but [Monumental Sports Owner] Ted [Leonsis] and Monumental Sports is doing what they think is the right thing for their franchise," Harris told us at the annual NFL meetings in Orlando this week. "We're certainly watching it and looking at it and learning from it. But there's not a lot we can do to affect that process, so we're a little bit removed from it, but clearly what happens there could have implications. So, we're following it and we wish them well.”

The well wishes didn't help as the deal Leonsis was trying to strike to move his two franchises out of the District and into Virginia was effectively killed on Wednesday.

"The teams are staying in the District  for the long term after Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to lure them to Virginia imploded and the city and ownership reached an agreement on a $515 million, publicly funded arena project," reported the Associated Press on Wednesday. "Bowser and Leonsis signed a letter of intent Wednesday for the deal, which keeps the teams in the District through 2050. They announced the development at a joint news conference at Capital One Arena, the teams’ current home, minutes later."

There are surely a lot of lessons for Harris to learn from the build up and letdown surrounding Monumental Sports' attempt to move it's two sports franchises into the Commonwealth of Virginia, and perhaps just as many for Gov. Youngkin to learn.

Especially as Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. all remain theoretically in the fight to house the Commanders' new stadium sometime in the unspecified future.

"I think that each jurisdiction wants us there, right," Harris also said about the future stadium prospects. "So, ultimately, it's about kind of establishing really how we might have a dialogue, and that starts with us having kind of a view on what we would do and sort of looking at an overall master plan and overall site plan. And so that's where we are right now.”

Meanwhile, Harris and his band of co-owners are focused on upgrading the current facilities after landing an $86 million funding deal with his fellow league owners to help improve. the current situation.

“We've been focused on the (current) stadium," Harris says. "But now we're also focused on our new home. And so, in that regard, we're in pretty deep. We're doing site plans across three jurisdictions. We're in deep discussion with Maryland, but at the same time we're continuing to pursue the possibility of having a site at RFK, and that process is a political process. So, the first thing that has to happen is DC has to have the rights to the RFK land. The House agreed to that in a bipartisan vote, but now we need the Senate to act and the president to sign that bill, and then we can really start to have discussions with DC. And so, we've made some progress there, obviously, but we need to make more.”

One part of the new arrangements that may be solidified sooner than the stadium is a new practice facility which Harris says does not necessarily have to be in the same area or even jurisdiction as the one the team plays in.

Much like the current situation where the Commanders practice in Virginia and play in Maryland, it appears that idea or a similar arrangement is not necessarily off the table completely

The good news for those anxious to see Washington play at a new home is that discussions and plans are moving forward. How long they'll take to turn into physical construction is a whole other conversation, and one Harris and his co-owners just learned shouldn't be rushed, too quickly, to failure.