Will Commanders bring back Redskins nickname? Why some think Washington’s football team could change its name

The Commanders are one win away from the Super Bowl. If you said that to someone five years ago, they would have absolutely no idea what you were talking about.

Five years ago, the Washington Commanders were the Washington Redskins. Three years ago, they were the Washington Football Team with a different owner, coach and quarterback. A fan base that knows turnover all too well has learned to roll with the punches, but a new era of success appears to be just getting underway in Washington D.C.

Will the new era incorporate some of the old? Some fans have called for the Commanders to bring back their old nickname, or at least some of the imagery from the Redskins era.

Here’s what owner Josh Harris has said about the future of the Commanders’ identity.

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Will Commanders bring back Redskins nickname?

It’s no secret times have changed since the Commanders retired their Redskins identity, both in the franchise’s facility and in America. Pressure ramped up on the franchise to change its name during the fallout of the George Floyd protests and the social justice movement that followed, but the current temperature of the country’s politics isn’t what it was in the summer of 2020. That’s led to some speculation a Redskins return could be in the cards.

By all indications, it’s not happening. Harris, who bought the Commanders from Dan Snyder in 2023, told reporters in 2024 that “the old name can’t come back,” citing “obvious reasons.”

Still, Harris didn’t rule out a name change to something other than “Redskins.”

“I think that we have a lot of work to do and so that name issue is going to be on the side for now until we can get things going,” Harris said in a separate press conference, passing on an opportunity to say the Commanders name is sticking around permanently.

One of the items on Harris’ to-do list at the time was winning. “The first objective is we gotta start winning football games,” Harris said. Consider that objective achieved. Washington stunningly won 12 games and is headed to the NFC championship game for the first time in 33 years.

Harris’ second objective, he said, was to find the Commanders a new stadium. That situation isn’t settled yet, but the team is progressing toward a new stadium at the site of the old RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.

If those plans go forward as planned, could Harris revisit a name change? Based on his past comments, it’s not out of the question. After all, he inherited the name when he bought the team. Just don’t expect the new name to be “Redskins” if a change does take place.