After the Josh Harris ownership group acquired the Washington Commanders franchise from Dan Snyder in 2023, there was a lot of speculation that they could look to change the name of the team. But it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen.
The “Commanders” name was introduced in 2022 after the franchise dropped the “Redskins” nickname in 2020. During the years between, Washington went by simply the “Washington Football Team.”
The “Commanders” name has not been exactly popular amongst fans and the new ownership has not previously been willing to firmly commit to keeping it, but that changed this week.
During a recent interview, Josh Harris had a much firmer answer as he made it pretty clear that the team will remain the Washington Commanders going forward.
“Yes. I think it’s now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff. We’re going with that,” Harris said according to Pro Football Talk.
There has recently been a push from fans to return to the previous “Washington Redskins” nickname. However, then-team President Jason Wright made it very clear back in 2023 that the team was not considering bringing back the old name.
“It is not being considered,” Wright told the radio station 106.7 The Fan back in 2023. “Period.”
This announcement from Harris seems to solidify that the Commanders will be staying and the Redkins won’t be coming back.
