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Commanders Owner Josh Harris Makes Final Decision on Name Change

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zachary Neel | Last updated Feb 3, 2025 1:51 PM ET

The identity of the professional football team in Washington D.C. has morphed quite a bit over the last decade.

In 2020, after years of debate and controversy, Washington announced that they would be retiring the 'Redskins' logo and name for good, a decision that was reached after a lengthy review of the franchise, and many outside parties weighing in on the situation.

For the time being, they would be known as the Washington Football Team.

That is, until 2022, when the name changed again, this time to the Washington Commanders.

This name was supposed to be for good, but fans were unsatisfied, and more calls came for the team to change the name once again. When Josh Harris bought the team from much-maligned owner Dan Snyder, there was a belief that the name change was somewhere on his to-do list.

On Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, Harris finally made an announcement on this front.

No more change is coming.

Harris announced on Monday that the 'Commanders' name is here to stay, which doesn't come as a major surprise after Washington's magical run to the NFC Championship this season.l

"I think it's now being embraced by our team, by our coaching staff," Harris said.

While a lot of fans aren't thrilled about this decision, many will come to accept it as their football team is playing at a level that they haven't seen in decades. If the Commanders are good, then fans in D.C. will likely not worry too much about the name.

"In this building the name Commanders name means something," Harris continued.

Washington was one of the hottest teams in the NFL this year, riding an Offensive Rookie of the Year season from Jayden Daniels, and seeing a breakout season from WR Terry McLaurin. The Commanders also got great production from veterans Austin Eckler and Zach Ertz.

While the defense needs some work going forward, Washington has a core group that they can build around and continue to compete for championships.

It appears that they will be doing so as the Commanders.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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