New Washington owner could make one big change

The Washington Commanders officially have a new owner. The group led by Josh Harris was approved on Thursday to become the new owners of the Commanders, paying $6.05 billion to buy the team.

The Harris group will be tasked with repairing the identity and image of what historically was one of the strongest brands in the NFL. As part of their efforts to turn around the franchise, the new ownership group could consider changing the team’s nickname.

ESPN reporter Don Van Natta Jr. joined “The Rich Eisen Show” on Thursday and was asked if he thought the team could go through another rebrand.

“Yes, I think there’s a pretty good chance of that, to erase any part of the [Daniel] Snyder legacy, to have a complete do-over. I would not be surprised at all if we see a name change and a complete rebranding,” Van Natta said.

Washington went by the Redskins nickname from 1937-2019 before changing their name to the Washington Football Team in 2020 amid political pressure. They kept that name for two years before Snyder introduced the new team nickname and branding he had decided on: Commanders. It’s probably too late to change the team’s nickname before the 2023 season, but don’t be surprised if the Commanders nickname isn’t a long-lasting one.