Big Redskins Stadium Development Throws Snyder's Plans Into Chaos

Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder desperately wants a new stadium. But a huge announcement from Maryland's governor could completely upend his plans, according to reports.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has pulled out of talks to build a new Redskins stadium near MGM National Harbor in Prince George's County, multiple outlets have reported, and that leaves Snyder with precious few options remaining.

There had been discussions about Maryland and the federal government swapping land in order to free up a parcel next to the MGM National Harbor casino, but that is officially out the window.

So what about Northern Virginia? As Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell noted in December, Snyder doesn't appear to have a great relationship with officials there after he moved preseason training camp to Richmond, and Richmond has been complaining lately about getting a raw deal.

That leaves D.C., Snyder's preferred site. The Redskins owner is enthusiastic about returning the team to the site of their original home at RFK Stadium. But the problem is that D.C. residents are not, and Snyder also needs approval from Congress for such a project, since RFK sits on federally owned land.

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The 2018 midterm elections may have doomed the D.C. bid, as did the government shutdown. Since the shutdown happened before Congress changed hands to the Democrats, Snyder wasn't able to garner Republican support for a last-minute federal provision for a D.C. stadium. And Democrats are unlikely to fund a stadium that D.C. residents oppose, as observers have noted.

This leaves DC as only realistic stadium site—but It will be hard if not impossible to get necessary approval from Congress. Snyder is in deep hole here. https://t.co/ss7EDMTp02
— Robert McCartney (@McCartneyWP) February 13, 2019

And with no competing offers in Maryland or Virginia, Snyder doesn't appear to have any leverage on D.C.

The Redskins' lease at FedEx Field expires in 2027. Snyder clearly doesn't prefer that the team remain there: the fans don't like it, it's well outside of D.C. a long way from any major developments, and it's just not the same as RFK was in its heyday.

But Snyder appears to be low on options at this point. Numerous reports over the years indicate his relationship with local officials are frayed at best. The Richmond deal is just one example of that, and his failure to land offers for a new stadium in Northern Virginia, D.C., or Maryland are further indicators of that.

A bad reputation among local politicians wouldn't matter as much if Snyder had a ravenous fanbase behind him, but he doesn't appear to have that anymore either. There has been a precipitous drop in fan attendance to the point that the Redskins have recently had to admit that the vaunted 200,000-person wait list no longer exists. Now, the Redskins can't even fill the current stadium -- making the idea of building a new one a very, very tough sell for Snyder.

That leaves Snyder with essentially no options, other than to stay at FedEx Field, which he reportedly greatly dislikes, blaming it -- and not the team's shortcomings -- with falling ticket prices and attendance. But with no support elsewhere for a new stadium, Snyder may find that his only option is to refurbish FedEx Field or build a new stadium in the same spot.

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)