For years D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that if the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins ever wanted to return to its glory days in a new stadium in D.C., it would first have to change its name. And with that matter now settled, Bowser is making clear that her desire to bring the Commanders back to town still stands.

“There’s only one location — and when I say that, I’m talking about D.C., Maryland, and Virginia — and that’s at RFK,” she said during a press event on Thursday, echoing a post on social media a day prior that similarly declared that the Commanders belong back in D.C.

The Commanders currently play at FedEx Field in Prince George’s County, where they are expected to remain until their lease expires in 2027. Fans have long derided the stadium and its location, and the team’s performance in recent years had prompted the franchise to remove seats so the stadium continues to look full.

Still, Bowser’s entreaties to the newly christened Commanders are facing tougher competition these days, though. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and a number of lawmakers have made no secret of their desire to woo the team away from Maryland; multiple bills have been filed in Richmond to create a stadium authority that could help identify and build a large stadium complex somewhere in the commonwealth, with areas in Loudoun County likely jumping to the top of the list. (Don’t discount Maryland completely, though, as there have been talks of a new stadium and entertainment complex on the site of FedEx Field.)

If Virginia puts money on the table to help build the stadium, that could seal the deal in its favor. Bowser again clarified Thursday that she would follow the model the city used when it kicked in half the cost of the $300 million Audi Field at Buzzard Point, where D.C. United plays. Bowser also said she continues to envision a new football stadium as an anchor for a larger project involving housing, parks, and retail.

“We would prepare the land,” she said of the RFK site. “The team would have to fund and build their own stadium. We’re not saying we’re going to have exactly what’s there now, a stadium surrounded by asphalt, because we need housing. There’s over 100 acres there, so that can happen at that stadium.”

But in another complication, D.C. has made no additional progress in taking control over the RFK site from the federal government, a move that would be required for Bowser’s more ambitious plans for the campus to come to fruition. The mayor noted as much on Thursday, sounding frustrated with the lack of movement on her request.

“For seven years we’ve been working to get control of the land,” she said. “The current situation is unacceptable, and that is a stadium that is falling down and asphalt surrounding it that’s not being used for anything.”

But even if the land were transferred, Bowser would also have to convince the D.C. Council to open the city’s purse strings to pay for the extensive land preparation that would be needed before any stadium could be built. And some lawmakers are cool to the idea.

“Regardless of a name change, building an NFL stadium at the RFK site would be a bad idea — for the taxpayers and for the residents. We can do so much better for housing, jobs, parks, & the Anacostia River,” tweeted Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), a longtime critic of a possible stadium, on Wednesday.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson joined him in expressing skepticism, but for a different reason — the scandals involving significant allegations of sexual harassment within the team.

“While the attention is on the new name of the Washington Football Team and returning to D.C., I remain very troubled that news reports indicate Dan Snyder interfered with the NFL investigation of sexual harassment within the team. I want the league to release that investigation,” tweeted Mendelson.

That spotlight may only get brighter, as former employers of the team have spent the day testifying on Capitol Hill, and some have made new sexual harassment accusations against owner Daniel Snyder.

The only certainty for now is that what’s left of RFK’s glory will soon come crashing down — a planned demolition of the aging stadium is planned for sometime next year.