American football’s Washington Commanders have announced BigBear.ai, the artificial intelligence (AI)-focused cybersecurity contractor, as the new naming rights sponsor for its training facility ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
The new deal sees BigBear.ai become the first AI firm to secure a venue naming rights partnership with an NFL team and will see the Commanders’ facility in Ashburn, Virginia, renamed the BigBear.ai Performance Center.
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The company primarily provides AI solutions to government agencies in the national security and defense sectors.
Kevin McAleenan, chief executive of BigBear.ai, said: BigBear.ai is going on offense, and this partnership exemplifies our strategy.
“We're stepping onto the national stage with one of the NFL's most recognized franchises – an organization that shares our deep dedication to innovation and excellence. Our partnership marks the first in a series of decisive moves we are taking to strengthen our position and unlock the next chapter of growth.”
As part of the deal, BigBear.ai branding will feature on the team’s practice jerseys and across the suite level of the team’s Northwest Stadium, at suite entrances to the stadium, and other key assets.
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By GlobalDataThe Commanders said BigBear.ai will also explore opportunities where its technology can enhance the fan experience.
The training site, which houses three grass fields, an indoor turf field, a draft room, team meeting rooms, training and recovery facilities, and an in-house content studio, was previously known as Redskins Park and the OrthoVirginia Training Center.
Since the franchise’s ownership change in 2023, the Commanders’ training facility has received $25 million-worth of upgrades.
The franchise was bought by a group led by American sports team owner Josh Harris for a then-record $6.05 billion from controversial previous owner Dan Snyder. The consortium included basketball legend Magic Johnson and billionaire Mitch Rales,
Washington Commanders president Mark Clouse said: “BigBear.ai has been a proud part of this region, delivering innovation and impact from right here in our own backyard.
“We have been focused on building momentum across every facet of the organization, and our partnership represents the next step in advancing performance, progress, and meaningful engagement with our fans and community.”
The new partnership comes weeks after the DC Council voted to approve plans for the Commanders to build a new stadium at the defunct Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Memorial Stadium site, where the team played for more than three decades.
The team played at RFK Stadium, two miles east of the US Capitol, for 35 seasons from 1961 to 1996 before moving to its current home in Maryland. The team’s lease at Northwest Stadium runs through 2027.
The approximately 65,000-seat stadium is expected to open in 2030 at a cost of almost $4 billion.
Under the terms of the deal, the Commanders will invest at least $2.7 billion to build a roofed stadium that can be used year-round, with the city investing roughly $1.1 billion over the next eight years for the stadium, housing, green space, and a sportsplex on 170 acres of land bordering the Anacostia River. The stadium itself will take up just 16 of those acres.
In addition to building the stadium, the Commanders will be responsible for activating and developing multiple parcels of land around the stadium with restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, housing, and green space.
The NFL’s 2025 regular season will start on September 4, 2025, with current Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys, and will end on January 4, 2026. The playoffs will then kick off on January 10 and conclude with Super Bowl LX on February 8.
