Redskins name change imminent; new logo within the week?

The Redskins name saga has been progressing quickly, and now reports suggest that a name change may be “imminent”.

It was only a little more than a week ago that the Washington Redskins were first requested by FedEx and other major corporate sponsors to change their team mascot. Since then, the Redskins announced their intent to initiate a full review of their current name, and were then revealed to be set on changing their name. Now, reports assert that the Redskins may complete their initial rebranding step very soon, potentially within the week.

According to Clarence Hill Jr., an NFL writer for the Star Telegram, who relayed his information from NFL writer Charles Robinson, a name change for the Washington Redskins is “imminent”. Hill Jr. writes that other teams have been told to officially remove the Redskins’ old logo from their platforms, and he goes on to say that a new name could be revealed at some point within the next few days.

The speed with which this situation has progressed is surprising, as Dan Snyder has held firm in the past, regarding discussions surrounding Washington’s team name. The ongoing corporate pressure and financial implications of a prolonged holdout likely forced Snyder’s hand, but reports have suggested that Snyder and head coach Ron Rivera have been discussing the possibility of a rebrand for over a month. Their progress in the past week would imply as such.

It’s impossible to know what the new name might be at this point, but if Snyder is by any chance taking fan opinion into account, we could have some indications as to what the front runners might be. Names such as Warriors, Redhawks, and Redtails have all garnered considerable support from different subsets of the fan base, but as of today, the runaway leader is Redwolves.

The most popular uniform concept for the Washington Redwolves mascot can be seen below. If this is the choice by Snyder, it won’t look like this, but the storylines to come with it will be similar, as I detailed in a recent piece: “In a way, the Redskins are not so different from the Redwolves. Outnumbered, up against the odds, but perhaps destined to make a dramatic return.”

https://twitter.com/DCsportsXP/status/1281351266086662146

Of course, while the Redwolves name is currently the favorite among fans and some players, it in no way indicates what Snyder and Rivera are leaning toward on this issue. Warriors seems like the most straight-forward, logical choice for the team, but if fan appeal is a factor, there will be some more engaged discussion. Given how quickly the name change may be occurring, it appears as though Warriors and Redwolves are the most feasible choices.

Whatever happens, it appears as though an official change could be announced far sooner than expected; there is motivation from the Redskins brass to get this done, and get it done quickly. Stick with us here at Riggo’s Rag, as we’ll keep you in the loop with updates.