FedEx Ends Commanders Stadium Naming-Rights Contract; Deal Was Set to End in 2026

FedEx has ended its naming-rights contract with the Washington Commanders two years before the deal was set to expire.

Per Nicki Jhabvala and Mark Maske of the Washington Post, FedEx exercised an opt-out provision in the contract before the end of 2023 that stemmed from the sale of the franchise to a group led by Josh Harris.

The Commanders issued a statement about the decision to the Washington Post:

"We thank FedEx Corporation for its longstanding naming rights sponsorship and their work with our team and community and look forward to their continued partnership within the Commanders family. We have already started the process of identifying our next stadium naming rights partner—a partner who will play a crucial role in ushering in the next era of not only Commanders football, but also a robust slate of top live events and concerts."

Jhabvala and Maske noted FedEx's decision to opt out of the agreement caught the Commanders "by surprise" because the sale to Harris led to renewed fan interest and six new sponsorship and partnership deals before the start of the 2023 regular season.

FedEx entered into a 27-year, $205 million naming-rights deal with the Commanders in 1999. The early opt-out comes when there were two years and approximately $15.8 million remaining on the contract.

The Commanders are in the process of trying to get a new stadium built in either Washington D.C., Maryland or Virginia. They also announced in September they were committing $40 million to upgrade the current stadium.

FedEx has a separate partnership with the Commanders that remains intact, as does its sponsorship deal with the NFL that began in 2000.

The naming-rights deal between FedEx and Commanders came together soon after Dan Snyder purchased the franchise in May 1999 following the death of previous owner Jack Kent Cooke.

The stadium was originally named after Cooke when it opened prior to the 1997 NFL season. FedEx founder Fred Smith had a minority ownership stake in the franchise from 2003 to '21.

Snyder bought out Smith, as well as other minority shareholders Robert Rothman and Dwight Schar, in April 2021 after Smith, Rothman and Schar expressed concerns about the direction the franchise was going.