The Washington Commanders Lose FedEx As a Sponsor

Image Courtesy of WUSA9

By Zachary Lichter

In the last four years, Washington D.C. has faced many challenges regarding its football team. In July 2020, after years of several disputes with Native American groups about Washington D.C.’s football team being called the Redskins, they finally changed their name from the Washington Redskins to the Washington Football Team. 

Then, in 2021 and 2022, there were concerns about the safety of the fans when a mysterious liquid from the pipes sprayed fans. Additionally, a railing nearly hit Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Now, the Washington Commanders are dealing with another problem: losing FedEx as their sponsor.

FedEx Field became the home of the Redskins in 1999, when they signed a 27-year contract for $205 million to sponsor the stadium. In July 2020, FedEx told the franchise they would remove their signage from the stadium if the team did not change its name, which prompted the Washington franchise to get rid of the name “Redskins.”

Fast forward to February 29, 2024, FedEx removed their name from their stadium in Landover, Maryland. The move comes two years before their contract ends in 2026. However, FedEx still has its partnership with the National Football League (NFL).

The Commanders are losing $15 million annually in revenue with FedEx Field now extinct. The Commanders now do not have a naming rights partner for their stadium in their Landover home. 

As of right now, the Commanders are looking for a sponsorship for their stadium. Their owner, Josh Harris, decided to spend $75 million on upgrading the stadium.

The franchise is also looking to see if they can build a new stadium either in Washington D.C., Virginia, or somewhere else in Maryland. The idea of building a new stadium in each of these areas created problems last year in all three places. 

The D.C. government does not want to build another stadium on the land where RFK Stadium is currently located. Virginia’s government tried introducing a bill to build a stadium, but it would cost almost $1 billion, which led the Commanders to scrap that plan. Maryland’s government offered $400 million to fix FedEx Stadium, but the money could not be used to build a new stadium.

While the Commanders are looking for a permanent sponsorship for  their stadium in Landover, there is a potential temporary solution. The franchise can get a shorter-term sponsorship for their stadium in Landover. It is possible for the shorter-term sponsorship to turn into a long-term sponsorship later. 

If the Commanders can come to an agreement with D.C.’s, Maryland’s, or Virginia’s governments about building a stadium, they could look for a company to sponsor the stadium in Landover while also looking for a company to sponsor their name stadium.

While the Commanders search for sponsors, the franchise will need to see if they can afford their sponsorship. Finding a partnership in sports is not easy because some sponsors are more expensive than others. What the Commanders hope for is that they can find a sponsor to help pay for their stadium by the start of their season.