Commanders's Mitchell Rales Says Former Nickname Won't Return: 'That Ship Has Sailed'

The Washington Commanders could explore another name change under the new ownership group led by Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales, but one thing is definite: The franchise will not revert back to the team name it held from 1933 through 2019.

Rales said Wednesday, via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post:

"That ship has sailed. We're not going to re-litigate the past. We're about the future. We're about building the future and not having a divisive culture that we're engaged in. We're going to look at everything come the end of the year and think about a lot of different things and do a lot of testing and see what people think. And we'll learn. The beauty is we have the time to look at all of this stuff intelligently and make fan-based decisions."

Rales' comments come after team president Jason Wright said on 106.7 The Fan last week that the franchise wouldn't consider returning to its old nickname under any circumstances.

"It is not being considered," Wright said. "Period."

The Commanders retired the nickname ahead of the 2020 season after pressure to do so from fans, sponsors and local officials. They adopted the Washington Football Team name for the 2020 and 2021 seasons before announcing the Commanders name in 2022.

Another potential name change won't be enacted until after the 2023 season.

Washington's new ownership group has placed a focus on upgrading FedEx Field and getting fans back into stadium seats this year. They recently invested $40 million for upgrades to FedEx Field.

The upgrades are expected to include maintenance repairs, updated Commanders branded imagery, three new themed suites (arcade-themed, legends-themed and military-themed), new ticket scanning pedestals and 12 new food vendors.

Changes could stretch beyond the nickname and repairs to FedEx Field. Harris hinted that Ron Rivera's job as head coach may not be so secure while speaking with reporters on Thursday.

Harris said, via ESPN's John Keim:

"I've really enjoyed getting to know Coach Rivera. He's a good man; he's done a great job in terms of where the team is relative to where it was when he got here and relative to a lot of the distractions going on."

"He has a very capable front office. We're getting up to speed; we want to hear how you want to learn, how you make decisions. It's going really well. ...Ultimately we have to deliver wins on the field. You don't need to say anything. It's just out there. So far so good."

The ownership group's top priority is on the 2023 campaign, and the Commanders open the season on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.