RICHMOND – The NFL season is over, but talk about a future home for the Washington Redskins isn’t.
Owner Dan Snyder told the Washington Post last year he’s open to moving the franchise’s facilities. Since then, blogs are filled with speculation and rumors have spread like wildfire.
Gov. Bob McDonnell thinks Virginia could meet the team’s needs. While not getting into specifics, he says he'd always be interested in a partnership with the franchise. The team has trained at Redskin Park in Loudon County for years, but this could turn into something bigger.
That's enough to get fans excited – from Richmond to Hampton Roads and across the state.
"If they are looking to move and find something different, why not Virginia? Virginia is a great state and a great state to work in," says Drew Litteral, who lives in Richmond.
"They're kind of like the local team, Norfolk and Redskins regionally. It's the closest team to us," adds Scott Ribinett.
At Big Al’s Sports Bar in Richmond, owner and sports talk show host Al Coleman thinks it could make sense financially.
"We are 100 miles away. It's a Redskins town and it would be a real boom for us financially, for the whole idea of them being here and local and being able to go by their facilities and watch them train," he said.
While it’s not out of the question that Richmond could be home to the team’s training facilities and headquarters, fans aren’t getting too caught up in the rumor mill.
"I'm very doubtful. I'm sure they’ve talked about it before. To think it would actually happen is crazy, but I’m all for it," said one man.
"There are always rumors out there. You have to take them for what it's worth, but it would be great to see it come to fruition," said another fan.
As for the Redskins playing somewhere other than FedEx Field, it wouldn’t happen for more than a decade. The team has a contract with the stadium until 2023.
