Commanders appear to make long-term decision about team’s name following two changes in four years

It looks like the Washington Commanders are going to stay the Washington Commanders. 

Back in June, new team owner Josh Harris left the door open for a possible name change at some point down the road, but after a successful season that saw the franchise get to the NFC Championship for the first time in 33 years, it seems that the Commanders name has suddenly started to grow on Harris. 

During a press conference on Monday, Harris was asked if it the Commanders name is here to stay and he didn’t hesitate with his answer. 

“Yes,” Harris said via NBC 4 in Washington. “I think it’s now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff and so we’re going with that.”

Following the 2019 season, the organization changed its name twice in a four-year period. The team was known as the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 2019, but heading into 2020, the team decided to change its name to the Washington Football Team. 

The WFT moniker was never meant to be permanent and it only lasted for two seasons until the franchise rebranded itself as the Commanders heading into the 2022 season. The name changes happened under former owner Dan Snyder, which left the door open for a new owner to come in and change the name again if that owner didn’t like the new name. 

In July 2023, Harris was formally approved as the team’s new owner and over the past 18 months, there’s been a lot of speculation about whether he would end up changing the name again. Harris may have given it some thought, but after the team’s most successful season since 1991, it sounds like he’s content with keeping the Commanders name. 

“In this building the name Commanders means something, it’s about players who love football, are great at football, hit hard,” Harris said. “That name is growing in meaning.”

One reason the subject of the name even came up is because the team had started selling special alumni merchandise with the franchise’s old logo on it, Front Office Sports reported in December. 

Although the team will be keeping the Commanders name, that franchise will also likely be selling merchandise with the old logo in certain situations. 

“As far as rebranding. … You’re going to see us head back toward honoring our past and bringing it together with our future,” Harris said. 

So the team might still sell some merchandise with the old logo, but the new name is here to stay.