Commanders' billionaire owner sets record straight on possibility of renaming franchise to Redskins amid recent controversy

The Washington Commanders have had a remarkable turnaround in their third year under that name. They went 12-5, making the NFC championship game under rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the head coach/general manager tandem of Dan Quinn and Adam Peters.

For owner Josh Harris, it is a sign that the "Redskins" brand can finally be forgotten for good despite recent clamor for its return. Speaking at the NFL Honors on Thursday, the billionaire owner said:

"'Commanders' is important in our culture, building football - it's time to move on... We have a great brand."

It is a reiteration of his stance from his season-ending press conference on Monday, wherein he said "Commanders" was going to stay after being "embraced" by almost everyone in the organization - from players to staff:

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

However, Harris did not rule out changing the uniforms so that they would reflect some of the previous identity:

"As far as rebranding and bringing [back] our past, which obviously I grew up with and all the Super Bowl championships and our future together, you're going to see us head back towards honoring our past and bringing it together with our future."

Harris' comments come after the Native American Guardian Association put out a statement yesterday condemning the current name and chastising the organization for not reviving the "Redskins" name:

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Josh Harris gets candid about Commanders' stadium situation

Last month, another major Commanders-related development occurred: former President Joe Biden transferred control over the site of RFK Stadium, their old home, from the federal government to the District of Columbia.

This, combined with a recent announcement that demolition of the current stadium would begin soon, facilitates a potential return of the franchise to the city proper in a new stadium that will be built on its site.

But while this is the preferred stadium plan of both Josh Harris and Mayor Muriel Bowser, he is not revealing too much. In that same presser, he said:

“As everyone knows, we’re considering multiple jurisdictions, but those areas need help and improvement, so that has to be a part of it, and the cities themselves need to have their own input as to what they want... We play in Maryland now and have an amazing relationship with them, but it’s not just our decision; it’s about the states and DC themselves, too."

He continued:

"We have a lot of dialogue and we’re going to keep pushing forward. We’ll be transparent what the surveys say, and obviously DC is aligned with the history and happens to be the easiest place for a number of fans to get to, but there’s a lot of support in Virginia and Maryland, too."

The Commanders' lease in Northwest Stadium expires in 2027. Harris has said he wants a new venue by 2030.