The Washington Commanders have landed a new stadium naming rights partner ahead of the 2024 NFL season. Existing club sponsor Northwest Federal Credit Union signed an eight-year deal that runs through the 2031 season and will rebrand Commanders Field as Northwest Stadium.
Financial terms were not released, but it is worth more than $8 million a year, according to multiple people familiar with the negotiations, who were granted anonymity because the matter is private. The team’s previous stadium naming-rights deal with FedEx was worth roughly $7.5 million a year.
Northwest became the Commanders’ official credit union partner last year, and it is the first credit union to hold a stadium naming rights partnership in NFL history. The team and credit union will hold a press conference before the Commanders’ home opener against the Giants on Sept. 15 to kick off the partnership.
The deal with Northwest Federal Credit Union does not include any options on a new stadium, if the Commanders relocate to a potential new home in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. Ahead of last Sunday’s preseason game, Commanders owner Josh Harris said 2030 was a target date to open a new building.
The club is in an ongoing $75 million renovation since Harris led a group last year that paid an NFL-record $6.05 billion for the three-time Super Bowl champions. Updates include a new Tunnel Club, new suite space (1932 Club) and upgraded food and beverage options. The team will immediately start adding new interior Northwest signage in the stadium, but there is not a timeline for when the new name will be on the front of the stadium.
In 1999, FedEx signed a 27-year, $205 million naming rights deal shortly after Dan Snyder bought the team from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke. Cooke died months before the stadium opened in 1997, and his children originally put their father’s name on the building façade. FedEx opted out of its deal ahead of the 2024 season, taking advantage of a change in ownership clause in the agreement after Harris’ purchase.
The Commanders worked with Elevate to help secure the partnership.