Potential name changes for the Washington Redskins

Here are some options for the Washington Redskins if they do decide to change their name.

Over the past couple of days, the name of the Washington Redskins has been thrust back into the spotlight. And for the first time since Dan Snyder bought the franchise, it seems like there is a legitimate chance that the name will be changed.

It all started when FedEx, the naming-rights sponsor for the team whose CEO is a minority owner in the squad, requested that the Redskins change their name. Given the financial implications Snyder was facing, FedEx’s sponsorship deal is worth $260 million, he had no choice but to pay attention to that.

Then Nike came into the mix and removed all Redskins merchandise from their official website. And it was revealed that Washington D.C. wouldn’t let the team return to the sight of old RFK Stadium to build there — unless they changed their name. And suddenly, Snyder had a choice to make.

On Friday, Snyder’s decision was made a bit clearer. The Redskins sent out a press release that stated the team would be conducting a thorough review of the Redskins name. And several reports indicate that a change is considered “likely.”

Like it or not, this is the reality the Redskins are facing. And they could have a new name in the near future. With that said, it’s time to look at what some of those names may be. Here’s a look at some of the options the organization may have if they do ultimately decide to change the team name.

Washington Redtails

The Redtails name seems to be one of the ones gaining steam on social media. There are mockups of logos, uniforms, and explanations of why the name makes so much sense for the team if they were to make the change.

It makes complete sense as to why this name would be sensible. It’s close to Redskins and the history behind the name is very cool.

The rebrand originated from a concept by Pete Rogers. Here’s a look at the rebrand as Rogers sees it.

This certainly is solid, and it keeps a lot of the traditional elements from the Redskins uniforms. Maybe fans would prefer a little bit of modernization if the team is forced to make the change, but this look does have an appeal.

But the biggest appeal is the nod to the Tuskegee Airmen as noted in Rogers’ description of the concept.

“The name ‘Redtails’ celebrates the WWII Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first African-American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces. The nickname ‘Red Tails’ comes from their planes, which had a distinct crimson tail.”

We’ll see if this name ultimately get consideration if the team decides to make a change. But this gives the team a chance to keep the HTTR slogan and a name that isn’t too far off from “Redskins”.

Washington Warriors

This has long been rumored to be an option if the Redskins name does change. Snyder did buy the trademark when he purchased the Redskins in hopes of using it on an Arena Football League team, so he clearly likes it enough.

And as NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay points out, Warriors is likely the clubhouse favorite for a potential change right now.

The Warriors moniker makes sense. It’s simple, alliterative, and it would allow the team to keep its color scheme with a reimagined logo. And since Snyder has already expressed an interest in it, it’s clear that he likes it.

If Snyder still owns that trademark, he could be well-positioned to make a quick switch without having to jump through many hoops. That would make any decision to change the name easier, having a viable, readily-available alternative on hand.

It’s notable that like the Redtails name, the Warriors nickname could be used to honor the military. That’s important to Ron Rivera, and he did mention “supporting Native Americans and our Military” specifically in the press release about the name review.

The downside is that the Warriors already exist and are a well-known NBA franchise. That won’t stop names from overlapping (see the Texas and New York Rangers, San Francisco and New York Giants), but it’s still a slight minus for the team, especially considering that the Warriors have been one of the most dominant NBA teams for the past decade.

Washington Generals

Speaking of honoring the military, the Washington Generals would make sense as well. But it’s probably not as strong of an option as either the Redtails or the Warriors.

There are a couple of reasons for that. First of all, the Washington Generals already have brand recognition. They are the squad that has battled the Harlem Globetrotters in exhibition matchups since 1952. They’ve played under several other names as well, but they are most commonly known as the Generals.

The most notable thing about those Washington Generals? They almost always lose to the Globetrotters. It wouldn’t exactly be a great idea for the Redskins franchise to adopt the nickname of a team that is viewed as perennial losers, especially given the Redskins’ lack of success in recent years.

The Generals name is a good one. But the fact that the moniker is associated with a losing act probably wouldn’t be a good omen for the Redskins adopting it. So, they’re better off targeting some other more unique names on the list.

Washington Redhawks

There are five teams in the NFL currently named after birds. They are the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks.

By becoming the Redhawks, the Redskins could join the bird gauntlet.

The Redhawks name would be a reference to the Red-Tailed Hawk, a bird of prey that is native to North America. Hawks are a popular mascot across sports, with the Seahawks and Atlanta Hawks being notable “Hawk” teams in professional sports. And there are plenty of hawk mascots among the college ranks as well.

The major positives for the Redskins with this name are that they would once again keep half of their name and would be able to keep the HTTR slogan on the table.

Plus, it’s easy to imagine the ‘Skins just reimagining their logo and incorporating a hawk into their already-great color scheme.

Washington Renegades

Here’s another one that works with the HTTR slogan.

I happen to like the Renegades nickname quite a bit. There’s just a nice ring to it. It seems intimidating enough and a Renegade feels like a real “Wild Card” on the field. That’s just my two cents on the name in general.

I think that there are a lot of options for a logo design with this one. We saw the Dallas Renegades create a cool logo and team concept in the XFL reboot (pictured above), so a similar concept with the Burgundy and Gold could work well. We’ll see if this draws consideration, but it’s a good name even if it’s getting a bit less attention than the likes of the Redtail, Warriors, and Generals.

Washington Pigskins

This is one of my personal favorites. It would be a good way to pay homage to some of the history of the franchise and incorporate one of the most notable position groups in NFL history into the franchise’s name.

Obviously, I’m referencing The Hogs with this name. The legendary offensive line of the Redskins featured the likes of Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm, Jeff Bostic, and Jim Lachey, among others, and was a catalyst for the team winning three Super Bowls under Joe Gibbs.

The Hogs were arguably the best offensive line in the history of the game. They did a lot to protect Mark Rypien and Doug Williams while opening massive holes for John Riggins to run through. If Snyder decides to change the name, why not make the name a nod to the success of this unit and these Redskins teams?

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Pigskins wouldn’t be a huge deviation from the name Redskins either. Fans that want to keep the original name could just refer to them as the ‘Skins. And the name Pigskins itself would make a ton of sense. It’s the name of a football, and it would be easy to reimagine a logo involving some sort of football-toting pig or a fierce-looking hog.

Maybe the Washington Warhogs would work better. Or maybe something like Razorbacks would be another way to honor The Hogs. But either way, if Dan Snyder decides to change the name, something that pays homage to The Hogs would make a whole lot of sense.

Washington Sentinels

This one hasn’t been mentioned much, but I can’t take credit for it. My trusty Riggo’s Rag co-editor Ian Cummings came up with it. And it’s a pretty good one overall.

Again, we’re sticking with a military theme here. A sentinel is a soldier whose job is to stand and keep watch. The idea of the team watching over and protecting the nation’s capital works pretty well.

Another option in a similar vein could be the Defenders. That was the name of the short-lived XFL 2.0 team that called D.C. home, and they developed a following pretty quickly. So, if Sentinels isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps Defenders would work out a bit better.

There’s no guarantee that the Redskins name will change, but things do appear to be heading in that direction at this point. These are just a handful of options to consider if the team does opt to make the switch.