It is inevitable. Sooner or later, the NFL will force the Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, to change the club’s name. The US Patent and Trademark office has already canceled the trademark registration for the team. There is just no way the team doesn’t make a nickname and logo change within the next 2 years. They can’t afford it.

So, with that said, what new name fits best? We will look at all the goofy, clever, weird, and likely name changes here. See the slide choices at the bottom of the page to navigate.

 

The Goofy

 

The Washington Hogs

 

I first saw this one suggested by Zach Kruse of Bleacher Report. Chris Chase of  FTW went on to elaborate it’s connection to the city, where Joe Gibb’s frontline and Joe Bugel’s frontline in the 1980s were referred to as the Hogs and experienced some success, reaching Super Bowls.

I think this name has a fun ring to it and could lead to some sick gear and logos, but is just too wild and too dirty to be the name of a present day NFL team. Nobody really wants to cheer for a team called the Hogs, right?

 

The Washington Skins

This name is really goofy, because it just drops the offensive part of the name and leaves the nickname’s nickname. Personally, I don’t think it catches on. Fans call the Redskins the Skins because they are lazy and like to abbreviate things. If this was the name, they would probably find some weird way to abbreviate it.

The Washington Monuments

This actually sounds really cool – Like really cool – but is just too silly. A logo would be pretty easy, but in terms of establishing a solid market and selling apparel, it may be difficult. Plus, I don’t know how much the players of the team would like to be called “monuments”. It has a good ring to it, but that is about it.

 

The Clever

The Washington Senators

Drawing from Washington’s obvious political heritage, the Senators make a pretty solid name. It has a very good established market and a killer logo to go with it. It also throws back to the baseball team that operated in Washington from 1901 to 1960, now the Minnesota Twins. There is a lot of history here, and it could make for a solid name choice.

 

 

The Washington Presidents

This one could fall under goofy, but I found it pretty interesting. The whole leadership aspect of the name makes it unique, and the countless jokes and gimmicks that can be had from it will make it interesting. Plus, some nice suit-jerseys would be pretty awesome.

 

The Washington Colonists

This one makes sense if you are looking for fierce, tough and hardnosed. To do so, you would need to have a starting quarterback that isn’t made of glass.

The Redskins just don’t have that sense of toughness that comes with this pioneer type character.This name would work for a lot of teams, but it’s similarity to the Patriots keeps it as a cinderella in this competition.

 

 

 

The Weird

 

Washington FC (Washington Football Club)

The New York FC new MLS team is a pioneer in this front, paving the way for American sports teams to drop the nickname and go with the professional, English style of name. Chris Chase wrote about this as a “probably not a chance but best move of all” option. I disagree.

This would be a great way to get a lot of attention and probably a lot of positive feedback. Plus, everyone would be interested to see what their new logo and new apparel look like. In fact, they would probably sell a few more shirts and jackets than they do now.

Also, they can always go with the traditional English Premier league way of having a nickname that is unofficial. For example, Arsenal FC of London goes by the “gunners”. The Washington Football Club could still go by the Redskins, it would just need to be unofficial and not on any logos or gear. This is one way for Dan Snyder to stick it to his opponents and still come out on top.

 

 

The Contenders

 

The Washington Warriors

The Washington Warriors is truly a great name. The alliteration as well as the fierceness of the name makes the name a definite contender. The name of warrior is a great logo, and it is surprising that in a league starving for better names (Browns, anyone? Really?) that this name isn’t already taken. This is probably the favorite in most of Redskin brass minds, and would be my bet for the final change.

The Washington Federals

Another play on the political ties of Washington, this name draws another whole crowd to join it’s fan’s ranks. The NHL’s Washington Capitals and the MLB’s Washingon Nationals make for the trifecta to be completed with the Washington Federals, with all three relating to each other. This gives the whole city of Washington a similar idea and type of logo to gather around and enjoy. It also gives all of Washington sports a similar idea and makes it very marketable.

 

The Washington Sentinels

This is my sleeper pick. The sentinel is an intimidating figure (especially if you have seen the most recent X-Men movie) and makes an interesting pick for a logo. Washington DC goes hand in hand with it’s vast amount of security, from the White House to Senate and everywhere inbetween. This name makes that characteristic known and marketed.

I think it gives Washington football a better identity than the other suggested names, as it capitalizes on perhaps it’s most ferocious side of it’s history and it’s makeup. If Dan Snyder wants to go with a whole new market that can compete with the best of them, this may be his option.