The Washington Commanders during a 2023 preseason game. Photo by Geoff Burke via USA TODAY Sports
Washington Commanders’ new owner Mitchell Rales has discussed the franchise potentially changing names again in the future. And one thing is for certain: the old name is not returning.
The franchise, which was known as the Redskins for 83 years from 1937 to 2020, was renamed to the Washington Football Team after controversy surrounding its name arose. The name was viewed by many as offensive to Native American groups, and then-owner Dan Snyder reluctantly changed the name. Then in 2022, the name was changed to the Commanders.
Both “Football Team” and “Commanders” were meant to be temporary names, but the name Commanders has grown on many of the fans. Still, there is a large group of fans who are hoping the original name will return—an online petition has over 130,000 signatures—but new owner Michell Rales has put those rumors to bed.
Moving Forward
“That ship has sailed,” Rales said at a dinner in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. “We’re not going to relitigate the past. We are about the future. We’re about building the future and not having a divisive culture that we’re engaged in.”
Last week, team president Jason Wright also publicly stated that the franchise will not be returning to the old name. “It is not being considered. Period,” he said.
At this point, it is unclear whether or not the Commanders will change their name once again, or keep the current moniker. Rales wants the team to focus on the NFL season at hand, and they will assess these issues afterward.
“We’re going to look at everything come the end of the year and think about a lot of different things and do a lot of testing and see what people think. And we’ll learn,” said Rales. “The beauty is we have the time to look at all of this stuff intelligently and make fan-based decisions.”
The Commanders went 3-0 this preseason and will face off at home against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday afternoon.
