Though it’s not going to host their new stadium, Fairfax County continues to put its stamp on the Washington Commanders.
D.C.’s NFL team has granted the naming rights to its training facility in Ashburn to BigBear.ai, a Tysons-based contractor that develops artificial intelligence technology.
Announced yesterday (Wednesday), the partnership emerged less than a year after the Commanders awarded the naming rights for its current stadium in Landover, Maryland, to Northwest Federal Credit Union, whose headquarters are at 200 Spring Street in the Town of Herndon.
“We are excited to partner with BigBear.ai, an organization that shares our commitment to excellence, community impact, and long-term growth,” Washington Commanders President Mark Clouse said in a press release. “BigBear.ai has been a proud part of this region, delivering innovation and impact from right here in our own backyard.”
Newly renamed the BigBear.ai Performance Center, the football team’s training facility in Ashburn covers 162 acres off of Loudoun County Parkway. The complex, which was previously named after the medical provider OrthoVirginia, features three grass fields, an indoor turf field, a draft room, team meeting rooms, strength training and recovery facilities and an “in-house content studio,” per the release.
Many of the amenities, including the draft room, have been added or refurbished since the Commanders came under a new ownership group in 2023 led by Josh Harris, a private equity investor who currently serves as a managing partner for the team, the Washington Business Journal reported.
The new name will be formally unveiled later this season, the Commanders said.
In addition to getting the facility naming rights, BigBear’s branding will start popping up around the Commanders’ stadium and on players’ practice jerseys as part of the partnership, the press release says:
BigBear.ai branding will be featured across the fifth-floor suite level of Northwest Stadium, at suites entrances to the stadium, on the team’s practice jerseys, and on other key assets. BigBear.ai will continue exploring opportunities where the company’s technology and expertise can enhance the fan experience, in ways that align with the organizations’ shared goals and the framework established by the NFL.
BigBear CEO Kevin McAleenan touted the partnership “with one of the NFL’s most recognized franchises” as a first step toward “the next chapter of growth” for the company, which has been around since 1988.
Previously based in Columbia, Maryland, before relocating its headquarters to Valo Park (7950 Jones Branch Drive) earlier this year, BigBear provides AI-powered tools for facial recognition, cybersecurity, data analysis and other tasks to both government agencies and private companies.
According to the WBJ, the company lowered its revenue expectations for the year and saw its stock prices drop this month — hurdles attributed to “disruptions” affecting its federal government contracts, particularly with the U.S. Army.
In an Aug. 11 earnings report, McAleenan — who served as acting secretary of homeland security from April to November 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term — nevertheless expressed confidence that BigBear will benefit from the billions of dollars in funding allocated to the departments of defense and homeland security by the tax and spending bill that Trump signed on July 4.
