Dr. Brandie Smith and D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser open the gate to let in Yu Ying Public Charter School kindergarten students for the opening ceremony in honor of the public debut of the giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Jan. 24, 2025. Josh Morgan / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

RFK return hits a snag? D.C. Mayor sounds alarm over Commanders stadium timeline

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 7:00 AM ET

There has been plenty to talk about regarding the Washington Commanders as they look to repeat the success they had last season when they made it to the NFC Championship game before losing to their NFC East foes, the Philadelphia Eagles.

The franchise regrouped this offseason through trades, free agency, and the NFL Draft, but the big news of late has surrounded whether or not the organization will do right by wide receiver Terry McLaurin and reward him with a long-term contract extension.

Focus has been on football, and rightfully so, but there has been other news regarding the Commanders playing out in the background: a return to their original home, where RFK Stadium used to stand.

It was approved earlier this year for the Commanders to make their way back home closer to the Nation's capital, but recently, there has become a concern regarding the timeline on when that might happen.

In a recent interview with The Team 980, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was asked by Kevin Sheehan the level of concern with getting the team into their new stadium by 2030 on a scale of 0 to 5, with 5 being the most concerned, and she was fairly blunt in her remarks.

"That's a good question. Listen, I'm concerned right now that everybody buckle down and get to work. I believe, I'm not concerned about our deal, our deal is solid," Mayor Bowser exclaimed. "It pays off for D.C., and at the end of the day, I think everybody wants the same thing. So I would put my level of concern, because you know, when you're a big city mayor, you're concerned about everything. I'll put it at a four."

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's level of concern about the Commanders getting a new stadium at the RFK site? On a scale of 0 to 5, it is a four, she tells @kevinsheehanDC. pic.twitter.com/shtf6spUmL
— The Team 980 (@team980) July 1, 2025

Clearly Mayor Bowser is concerned with when the team will in fact be able to call D.C. home again with much of that coming from a lack of speed from the D.C. Counsil to make a decision.

She reiterated that all sides seem to be on the same page with bringing the Commanders back to the place they called home from 1961-1996, but it seems as if the Council is dragging its feet in making the decision final.

The team and Bowser have both wanted the approval by July 15th; however, public hearings have been set for the 29th and 30th, two weeks past the deadline originally set.

We will continue to monitor the situation as more information becomes available.