The 2024 NFL trade deadline passed a month ago, but the Washington Commanders could still be involved in a major swap.
Maryland’s U.S. senators, Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, have proposed a trade that would allow the District of Columbia to build a stadium to lure the Washington Commanders from their current home at Northwest Stadium (formerly FedEx Field), according to the Washington Post.
Suggested Swaps:
DC gets: Maryland senators do not oppose a bill that would allow the District to redevelop the RFK Stadium site, possibly for a new home for the commanders.
Maryland gets: One of DC’s two Air National Guard squadrons (and the only one with fighter jets), a public statement from commanders about their preferred location for their next stadium and assurances about what will be built in place of Northwest Stadium.
It’s a trade you don’t see every day, but it’s the sort of thing that can happen when the tangled mess of professional football, military spending and D.C. politics intersect.
Last we left DC in an attempt to woo Maryland’s commanders, the US House passed with bipartisan support, with Maryland’s senators currently threatening to oppose it. The DC RFK Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act simply gives DC control of the RFK Stadium site, to do with as it pleases. It could be a mixed-use development site, a multi-billion dollar NFL stadium, or something else.
The bill has drawn opposition from Maryland lawmakers in both the House and Senate for obvious reasons. Commanders and their tax money are currently in Maryland, which Virginia will also have to fight to keep the team. The proposed trade would open more doors for D.C. to land the Commanders, but it would at least give Maryland something similar to what many NFL teams experience with pending free agents.
Maryland is the only state without a National Guard flying mission next year, due to plans by the US Air Force to convert the state’s existing squadron to one with cyber responsibilities on the ground.
Eleanor Holmes, D.C.’s non-voting congressional representative, released a statement in the Post expressing concern about the proposed swap:
Norton said in a statement on Tuesday. “While DC may request assistance from other National Guards, there is no guarantee that air assets will be delivered on time — or at all.
“DC rightfully deserves to benefit from the land where RFK Stadium is derelict and DCNG’s aviation resources should not be expended in exchange for transferring campus administrative jurisdiction to DC,” Norton’s statement said.
The situation reflects DC’s inability to govern itself despite being home to more people than Vermont and Wyoming. Districts have no vote in Congress, and two chambers have authority over its affairs, which creates an awkward situation when competing with actual states for anything.
