The Washington Football Team will officially have a new name for the 2022 season and beyond, and now we know exactly when that name will be revealed. Team president Jason Wright announced the new team name will be unveiled in about a month -- Feb. 2, 2022. Wright also announced that two names are no longer under consideration.
"Early on we understood Wolves -- or some variation of it -- was one of our fan favorites," Wright wrote in a statement on the team site. "As I've said all along, we take feedback from our fans seriously, and because of your interest in this name, we put Wolves on a list of options to explore fully. Once we began looking into Wolves, however, we became aware of a notable challenge: trademarks held by other teams would limit our ability to make the name our own. And without Wolves, variations like RedWolves wouldn't have been viable either for these and other reasons.
"Understanding the weight and importance of our team name, and excitement around other name options -- both internally and within our fan base -- we didn't want to risk going down a route that could be dotted with legal hurdles. The prospect of years of litigation wasn't something that we wanted you, our fans, to have to bear as you begin to embrace a new brand."
With Wolves and RedWolves out of the running, the mystery still isn't solved on what the team's new nickname will be. Washington CEO Tanya Snyder was on Adam Schefter's podcast in September and revealed eight names that are under consideration -- but the organization was reportedly down to three finalists.
The eight names under consideration were Armada, Presidents, Brigade, Defenders, Redhogs, Commanders, RedWolves, and Washington Football Team ... though it was later clarified that a WFT spokesperson indicated the list of eight names is a selection of names that were highlighted in their Making the Brand video, not a final list of potential name candidates. Still, RedWolves are out and Washington Football Team also doesn't appear to be returning, leaving Armada, Presidents, Brigade, Defenders, Redhogs, and Commanders as the final six candidates for the rebrand -- if those were in fact the final eight.
"We are confident that this identity is one that our team and our fans across D.C., Maryland, Virginia and beyond can rally behind for another 90 years and more," Wright wrote. "As we continue to cheer on the Burgundy & Gold in this next chapter."
