New Washington Commanders Owner Will Reportedly Change Team's Name

The Washington Commanders could be getting a rebrand. Again.

A group led by private equity investor Josh Harris received official approval Thursday to purchase the team for $6.05 billion. And the Harris group is wasting no time cleaning up the mess Dan Snyder left behind.

According to ESPN reporter Don Van Natta Jr., a third name change might be on the horizon.

"Yes, I think there's a pretty good chance of that, to erase any part of the Snyder legacy, to have a complete do-over," Van Natta Jr. said on The Rich Eisen Show. "I would not be surprised at all if we see a name change and a complete rebranding."

Once upon a time, the Washington Redskins were one of sports' most iconic brands. And that lasted for 82 years. But amid political pressure, the franchise abandoned the Native American-themed monicker in 2019.

Unable to come up with anything more creative, they used a placeholder, The Washington Football Team, for the next two years. Finally, Snyder settled on "Commanders."

And with the name change came the Commanders' ill-received new mascot, Major Tuddy — a chunky pink pig in an army helmet.

But the Commanders' embarrassment might finally be coming to an end.

NBA legend Magic Johnson — who purchased the Commanders alongside the Harris group — said the team's new ownership will "keep busy" as they work to turn the organization around.

"I think everything is on the table, especially after this year," Johnson said. "We'll see where we are with the name, but I can't say that right now."

The Commanders went 8-8 in 2022 and finished last in the NFC East. And they've got some work to do on the field — like, the actual field.

FedEx Field, the team's home since 1997, has not aged well. And that might be putting it nicely. Earlier this year, Pro Football talk called the stadium a "sh-thole."

Thus, the new owners will face an immediate challenge of building a new stadium before the lease runs out at FedEx in 2027.

"We're going to spend this year understanding what we have in place, and then I'm sure will come up," Johnson said. "The name of the team will come up eventually, but right now we've got enough work to do and that will keep us busy."

So the name change certainly won't happen before the upcoming season, and it might not even happen next year.

But just to be safe, Washington fans, I'd hold off on buying any new Commanders gear.