NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Commanders owner Josh Harris worked on Monday to secure the support of the Washington, D.C. City Council for an agreement reached with Mayor Muriel Bowser to build a new stadium in the District of Columbia. However, according to The Washington Post, the deal is far from finalized.

The biggest skeptic? The chairman

Goodell and Harris met privately with Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and spoke with nearly every councilmember. Their lobbying efforts highlight how personally invested the NFL commissioner is in expanding the league’s presence in the District. The Commanders are hoping to receive about $1 billion in public funding from the city, which would go toward building the stadium and surrounding infrastructure.

Mendelson admitted he remains cautious about allocating public money for a stadium and is waiting for more details. However, he did say there is some chance the stadium could still be built in the city. He added that he expects the project to be realized in some form but predicts the council will introduce changes to the proposed agreement. According to The Washington Post, the key political question for lawmakers, the mayor, the team, and the NFL is how significant those changes will be. Several councilmembers said Harris and Goodell gave a brief presentation on the benefits of the deal and answered a few questions about the city’s financial contribution.

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Battle lines already drawn

The City Council has had more than a week to consider the terms of the deal. Supporters of the RFK National Stadium emphasize the $2.7 billion private investment by the Commanders – the largest in city history. Opponents point to the $1 billion that local taxpayers would have to spend on infrastructure and parking. Councilmembers Kenyan McDuffie, Anita Bonds, Brooke Pinto, and Wendell Felder support the project. Felder said: This will breathe new life into an area that has waited too long for real revitalization and meaningful economic growth.

On the other side, three councilmembers – including Mendelson, Brianne Nadeau, and Charles Allen – openly oppose the project. Some critics object to any public funding being used for an NFL stadium. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, who has not yet taken a definitive stance, said in a statement: While this opportunity is exciting, I believe meeting the needs of D.C. residents means asking a $6.3 billion team to fund the construction of its own home. The city still has two months to negotiate funding, timeline, and expectations for the stadium.

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Walking a tightrope

Tensions between Mayor Bowser and the City Council are becoming increasingly public, as the three-term mayor faces potential conflict with the council over the budget and the Commanders deal. Due to uncertainty around the 2025 budget, Bowser delayed submitting the 2026 budget by over a month. Mendelson has publicly accused Bowser of deliberately stalling the process. Bowser claims she is following the required schedule and procedures set by the city’s chief financial officer. Mendelson, however, says the mayor is intentionally delaying the document to pressure the council into acting under time constraints, without a chance to thoroughly analyze the budget or the team’s agreement.

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Majority of D.C. residents support the project

While the D.C. City Council weighs the plan to build a new stadium for the Washington Commanders and a surrounding development along the Anacostia River, a majority of city residents support using public funds for the project – a sharp change from public opinion three years ago.

According to a Washington Post and Schar School poll, 55% of District residents support spending about $850 million from the city budget on infrastructure around the new stadium, while 39% are opposed. In comparison, in 2024 only 47% supported such funding, and in 2022 just 30%. Earlier surveys did not specify the size of the public contribution or the stadium’s location. Since then, Josh Harris has purchased the team, replacing the controversial Dan Snyder, who owned the team for over two decades. In under two years, the new ownership has carried out a complete restructuring of the organization, and Harris and his partners have invested over $100 million in upgrading existing facilities in Landover, Maryland, and Ashburn, Virginia.

The survey was conducted via phone between April 22 and May 4, sampling 651 adult residents of Washington. The margin of error is ±4.6 percentage points. The $850 million figure is based on preliminary agreement terms; the city’s actual cost could reach $1 billion. The announcement of the deal’s details during the polling period had little effect on support levels – 55% supported it before the announcement, and 54% after.

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How are views divided?

The strongest indicator of support is fan affiliation. Among Commanders fans, 70% support the use of public funds, compared to only 38% of non-fans (with 55% opposed). Sports fans who don’t follow the Commanders are split – 51% oppose, 44% support. Among residents uninterested in sports, 63% oppose public funding of the stadium. Demographic differences are also notable. 62% of Black residents support the funding (including 70% of Black men), compared with 53% of White residents and 44% of residents of other races.