Oxon Hill, Md. -- While there’s been much speculation about the Redskins returning home to D.C. at a proposed new sports venue where the old RFK stadium now stands, Maryland has quietly set aside a site in Prince George’s County in hopes of keeping Dan Snyder’s team.
A spokesman for Governor Larry Hogan confirmed Monday that the state quietly made an agreement with the National Park Service back in 2017 to re-purpose the Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm as a future stadium site. The state made no announcement at the time. Local leaders were unaware of the deal despite much past speculation about the site.
The little-used 300-acre site owned by the National Park Service includes a farm museum with live animals and picnic areas. It sits across I-95 from National Harbor and the MGM casino.
In 2016, the Redskins unveiled futuristic renderings of a potential new stadium concept without revealing a commitment to a future sight.
However, the renderings by the Bjarke Ingels Group put their stadium concept on an imaginary piece of land that seems to match maps of the Oxon Cove Park site.
The conceptual renderings were made a year before the state quietly secured the area as a potential stadium site by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Park Service outlining the possible re-purposing of the rustic historic park to a glittering NFL entertainment complex near a casino.
The Redskins plan to give up on FedEx Field in Landover, Md. for a new home when the lease at FedEx field is up eight years from now in 2026.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser advocates bringing the Redskins back to their original home on the banks of the Anacostia River where the now-obsolete RFK stadium still stands on Federal property.
The team is lobbying Congress to include an authorization for RFK redevelopment into a massive federal spending bill due to be voted on before the end of the year, according to the Washington Post.
But political opposition includes forces who believe the Redskins must change their controversial name before receiving any support for a move back to the District.
Meanwhile, the Redskins have investigated the additional possibility of putting a new stadium complex on a site near Dulles airport in Virginia.
