NFL Team Goes Back To Former Name

Photo: dean bertoncelj / Shutterstock

Washington is selling select “Redskins” gear again, not to revive the name, but to keep its trademarks alive in court and on shelves.

Story Snapshot

The Commanders released limited alumni merchandise using the retired name and logo to maintain trademarks.
The team says the move does not signal a return to the old nickname.
United States Patent and Trademark Office rules require continued commercial use to keep registration alive.
The team’s new uniforms lean on franchise history without restoring the old brand.

Washington tilts into nostalgia while guarding its legal flank

The Washington Commanders put the franchise’s former name and logo on select apparel honoring past stars. Team officials tied the drop to trademark maintenance and said the Commanders name is staying. A spokesperson told local media the club must keep the marks in commercial use so they remain under franchise control, and that there is no change to the team’s stance on the name. The merchandise is limited and aimed at alumni recognition, which keeps the past close without changing the present.

Trademark law pushes brand owners to act. The United States Patent and Trademark Office tells registrants to keep using marks in commerce and file proof at set intervals. If a mark sits unused, it risks weakening and, over time, loss. Continued sales, even small runs, can show ongoing use and intent to maintain rights. Filing a declaration is not enough without actual commerce, which is why teams produce real product, not just paperwork.

The legal backstory that shaped today’s playbook

The franchise’s long trademark fight a decade ago still echoes. The agency’s tribunal canceled several Redskins registrations in 2014, citing disparagement grounds at the time. That order targeted registrations, not the team’s ability to use the name in commerce during appeals. The distinction mattered then and informs strategy now: registrations are tools, but marketplace use is the lifeblood that keeps a mark enforceable in the real world.

Sports brands often walk this line. They retire marks for moral or market reasons, yet protect the old equity through narrow, controlled sales. Courts and regulators look at use, intent, and consumer link to source. Sell nothing and the mark fades. Sell too much and you look like you are reviving what you swore off. The Commanders’ targeted alumni shirts and tight quantities try to split that gap, which tracks standard trademark guidance and common sense.

New threads nod to glory years without crossing the line

The team’s current uniform set reaches back to Super Bowl lore while it leans into the Commanders identity. Washington’s black alternate, the Hail Raiser, features a spear threaded through a block W on a matte black helmet. The primary sets keep the gold W on burgundy and white. The club framed the designs as a blend of modern brand and franchise history, not a retreat to the retired nickname.

The Washington Commanders are selling Redskins merchandise again, and the reason they gave is that they have no choice. "We are required to maintain the marks in commercial usage so that marks remain under franchise control," a team spokesperson said. That's true enough as… https://t.co/jINNyR03fl pic.twitter.com/6Pli0jHr7z

— George Jarjour (@GeorgeOnTap) August 26, 2026

Fans read signals, not memos, so optics matter. A spear through a W nods to past iconography without restoring banned elements. Throwback details on helmets and stripes echo championship seasons while the wordmark stays Commanders. That is the balance many heritage clubs strike. They sell history as history, not as present identity. The approach honors winning eras and satisfies sponsors and the league, while also respecting those who wanted the old nickname gone.

What this move says about values, markets, and limits

Stewardship means owning both the shine and the scars. Keeping trademarks under team control protects fans from fly-by-night sellers and knockoffs. It also keeps future decisions in-house, not in a court or a counterfeit market. The team’s statement fits American conservative values of property rights, rule of law, and honoring serviceable traditions. The guardrails are clear: keep sales narrow, label them as alumni recognition, and keep the current brand front and center.

Consumers will decide with wallets. If alumni drops sell out, expect more controlled releases tied to ceremonies and anniversaries. If backlash grows, the team can dial back volume while still documenting use for the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Either way, the plan is now public and plain. Washington is not bringing back the old name. Washington is protecting its marks, celebrating its legends, and threading the needle the law drew for them.