{"id":271515,"date":"2026-03-31T14:30:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=271515"},"modified":"2026-03-31T13:33:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:33:54","slug":"commanders-owner-josh-harris-major-stadium-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/03\/31\/commanders-owner-josh-harris-major-stadium-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Commanders Owner Josh Harris Reveals Major Stadium Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Washington Commanders<\/a> keep saying their new stadium project is moving exactly how it should. But in a recent interview with the New York Times<\/a>, Commanders owner Josh Harris<\/a> gave a major update on the progress of the new build and what to expect.<\/p>\n

Commanders Owner Josh Harris Provides Stadium Update<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re doing some of the detailed design features,\u201d Harris said, \u201cand there are so many cool opportunities with the innovation in stadiums, whether it\u2019s the shape of the scoreboard, which we may have some things up our sleeve on, whether it\u2019s the size of the scoreboard, the sound, the nature of the roof, how close many of the seats are relative to other stadiums.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before getting there, though, the basics are still in place. Harris confirmed the project is \u201ctotally on track,\u201d with utility construction expected to begin soon and vertical construction targeted for around this time next year.<\/p>\n

Still, the more interesting takeaway isn\u2019t when the stadium will be built. It\u2019s what they\u2019re trying to build.<\/p>\n

Harris didn\u2019t give specifics on any of those features, which honestly makes it more intriguing. You don\u2019t tease scoreboard design or seating proximity unless you believe it\u2019s going to be noticeable. Fans in Washington have sat through years of a stadium experience that felt outdated before kickoff even started. This sounds like an attempt to flip that completely.<\/p>\n

Not Just a Stadium, But an Experience<\/h3>\n

And then there\u2019s how the organization is framing the entire project.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, one of the things I\u2019ll say about this stadium is that it\u2019s not just a stadium,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThat\u2019s a small part of what (it will be) for neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n

That line says more than anything else.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just about replacing Northwest Stadium. It\u2019s about creating something that lives beyond Sundays. Restaurants, gathering spaces, and a reason to be there when there\u2019s no game. Other franchises have already gone this route. The Commanders are clearly trying to catch up, and maybe even push past that model.<\/p>\n

So far, the team and its architect, HKS, have only released exterior renderings. Interior views are still being held back, which feels deliberate at this point. If you\u2019re going to tease innovation, you don\u2019t show everything at once.<\/p>\n

Harris Gives Update on Practice Facility<\/h3>\n

Some things, however, are not moving quickly.<\/p>\n

Naming rights and even the stadium name itself are still years away from being finalized. \u201cYeah, so we\u2019re about four years or more away from that,\u201d Harris said. \u201cWe\u2019re focused on building a great stadium, having an amazing fan experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Translation. Get the product right first. Worry about the branding later.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Commanders aren\u2019t ignoring what they currently have.<\/p>\n

There are no immediate plans to leave the Ashburn practice facility. In fact, they continue to invest in it. Renovated locker rooms, expanded training areas, and additional meeting space. All of it is designed to improve day-to-day operations for players and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, there are no real plans to leave,\u201d Harris said. \u201cPeople love that area. The team loves it. It doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019ll never leave, but right now, we\u2019re focused on the stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n

On top of that, ownership is putting another $25 million into upgrades for both the practice facility and the current stadium in Landover. That comes after more than $100 million has already been spent on improvements over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n

Harris didn\u2019t pretend the situation they walked into was ideal.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we didn\u2019t inherit a great situation there,\u201d he said. \u201cBut look, ultimately, you have to keep your fans happy\u2026 we want to make sure that everyone has a first-class experience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris has provided the fanbase with a major update on the new stadium that is being built.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5774,"featured_media":271543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,36,8896],"tags":[20479],"class_list":["post-271515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-nfl-news","category-washington-commanders","tag-josh-harris"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5774"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271515"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271540,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271515\/revisions\/271540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}