It was believed that RFK Stadium would rise from the ashes of Commander’s dysfunction like a phoenix. Josh Harris, the new owner, arrived with a lot of money, patience, and one unmistakable promise: Washington football will return home. He described it as a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity and a “defining moment” for the city. The $3.8 billion stadium contract, which was announced in April, was framed as the beginning of something great for the team and all of D.C.

The location? A collapsing shell with traces of previous Super Bowls. The vision? A 65,000-seat domed stadium surrounded by 180 acres of mixed-use sparkle. Including homes, parks, retail, a sports complex, and a resurgent economy in Ward 7. The figures? $1.1 billion in public money and $2.7 billion in private investment, the most in the District’s history. Josh Harris said all the right things. Mayor Muriel Bowser doubled down. They were all in. All except the D.C. Council.

Things took a sharp turn on July 1. Mayor Bowser joined The Kevin Sheehan Show and gave a less-than-reassuring pulse check on the RFK project. When asked how concerned she was on a scale from 0 to 5 about the deal actually getting done, Bowser gave a direct response, “I believe I’m not concerned about our deal. Our deal is solid; it pays off for DC. And at the end of the day, I think everybody wants the same thing. – I’ll put it at a four.” A four. That is dangerously close to ‘this whole thing might implode.’

Bowser had earlier warned in June, “If the Council strips the deal terms or budgeted dollars from the budget, it kills our agreement with the Commanders.” That isn’t political theatre; July 15 is the actual deadline. No deal if there is no vote. Josh Harris and company are then free to pursue Virginia or Maryland once more.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson isn’t exactly losing sleep. At his briefing a few days back, Mendelson said the Council likely won’t vote on the full legislation until mid-September. Two full months after the deadline. “It would be incredibly extraordinary to call the Council back in August,” he said. “I can’t think of one time in 50 years of home rule that we have called the Council back.” He did confirm that the Council would vote on the financing portion of the deal by July 15, but not the full package.

Why? He wants more time for hearings, tweaks, and transparency. “I’m not gonna budge from this, and that is that we are working well with the Commanders and as diligently as possible to try to get to a point where the Council can vote as quickly as possible,” he said. Translation: See you in the fall.

Mendelson also took a jab at the deal’s details, pointing to a lack of timelines around affordable housing, tax benefits that bypass the general fund, and no guarantees for community wins. The subtext? We’re not rubber-stamping this because the NFL wants a new toy. But in a bizarre twist of political football, the Commanders’ brass reportedly invited members of the D.C. Council to dinner.

Josh Harris’ stadium plans stall as Commanders dine with D.C. Council

On one side, the Commanders wish to remain in Washington, D.C. The RFK proposal is very marketable, symbolic, and emotive. But on the other side, the team will not wait forever while local politics cause everything to come to a complete standstill. So the Washington Commanders invited members of the D.C. Council to dinner at a Georgetown restaurant.

The Council, meanwhile, doesn’t appreciate being steamrolled. Mendelson made it clear after the dinner: they’ll do their due diligence, public hearings will happen, and changes will be made. It includes possible cuts to tax abatements, clearer language on affordable housing, and more guarantees that D.C. sees tangible, lasting benefits beyond football. “There was just conversation. Some of the councilmembers asked questions about different issues, like parking, for example, community benefits agreement. – It wasn’t an argument…There was a little bit of reference to timing, but in the sense of, ‘Let’s move as quickly as we can.'”

The Commanders have stayed silent amid recent delays, but sources close to the situation say the July 15 vote will be critical. Without movement on the full package, momentum could stall. And once that window closes, so does D.C.’s leverage. With real estate and incentives potentially on offer, Josh Harris may have no choice but to listen. Because at the end of the day, stadiums aren’t built on nostalgia alone. They’re built on deals, deadlines, and votes.