ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders' name isn't going anywhere. Owner Josh Harris settled that topic, which has remained a big one in Washington since the organization rebranded three years ago, during his postseason news conference Monday.
"I think it's now embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff. So we're going with that," Harris said.
Washington's organization underwent a rebrand after announcing in July of 2020 that it was retiring the name "Redskins" that had been in use since 1933 -- four years before the team moved to D.C. The organization went by the Washington Football Team in 2020 and '21 before announcing, under previous owner Dan Snyder on Feb. 2, 2022, that it would be called the Commanders.
The name had been widely panned by the fan base, many of whom wanted a return to the team's former name -- a notion Harris struck down multiple times including in August when he said, "For obvious reasons, the old name can't come back."
In April, the Washington Post ran a poll in which 58% of local Commanders fans did not like the name. However, since then, the Commanders drafted quarterback Jayden Daniels who helped lead the team to their best season in more than three decades.
Washington finished 12-5 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 season. At their season-ending news conference last week, coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters referred to the "Commanders' standard" that was established this year. Players would refer to that as well.
"The name Commanders means something," Harris said. "It's about players who love football, are great at football, hit hard, mentally tough, great teammates. It's really meaningful that that name is growing in meaning."
Harris also said the team will dip into its past and honor it in various -- but unspecific -- ways. He said they want to "honor our past and bring it together with our future."
