The Washington Football Team is going to have a new name at some point in the future. It ditched its old “Redskins” moniker back in the summer of 2020 after FedEx — the naming rights sponsor for the team’s stadium — called upon them to make the change.

Shortly thereafter, Nike stopped selling Redskins apparel on their website. And Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that the team’s name remained an impediment to the team building any new stadium in the District of Columbia.

As a result, owner Daniel Snyder announced that the team would undergo a “thorough review” of its name, citing a desire to get input from a variety of groups about the moniker’s future.

“This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and the history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field,” Snyder said in a statement.

On July 13, 2020, Washington announced it would change its name and logos ahead of the 2020 NFL season. They would be temporarily known as the Washington Football Team until a new name was chosen.

Over a year later, no decision has come about a permanent name. When is the Washington Football Team going to announce its permanent name? And what are the potential options? Here’s everything that you need to know about the name change that Snyder was adamant he would never make.

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When will Washington Football Team pick new name?

Team president Jason Wright announced that the Washington Football Team is set to reveal its new name in 2022.

“The new name and logo will be revealed in early 2022,” Wright said in an interview. “And [it] will retain the traditional burgundy and gold colors that are entrenched in the team’s history.”

That timeline would put Washington on track to pull off a full rebrand of its organization in 18 months. The thorough rebranding process that “has included 40,000 submissions from fans, multiple focus groups, surveys and a digital rollout (at washingtonjourney.com) to give fans insight into the process,” per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

For 2021, the team will still be known as the Washington Football Team. But this will be the last season during which the team operates under that nickname — at least on a temporary basis.

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Washington Football Team name options

The Washington Football Team has narrowed down its list of potential nicknames to eight possibilities. Tanya Snyder, co-CEO of the team, announced them on a recent episode of the Adam Schefter Podcast. They are:

• Red Hogs
• Defenders
• Armada
• Presidents
• Brigade
• Commanders
• Red Wolves
• Washington Football Team

A couple of these are self-explanatory. Washington could opt to keep its current name “Washington Football Team” permanently or they could opt to roll with “Presidents” as a nod to Washington D.C.’s status as the nation’s capital.

Here’s why the other options are finalists for Washington.

Red Hogs

“Red Hogs” stems from a nickname for Washington’s offensive line during the late-80s and early-90s. Washington’s offensive line was then known as “The Hogs”, and was one of the best in the NFL. They helped the team win three Super Bowls with Joe Jacoby and Russ Grimm leading the way for the unit.

Hogs would be a nod to that group — and the “Hogette” mascots that succeeded them — while keeping the word “red” would be a nod to the team’s former nickname.

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Armada, Brigade, Commanders and Defenders

The Defenders, Armada, Brigade and Commanders all are centered around the military. That’s something that coach Ron Rivera, who grew up in a military family, has expressed an interest in tying into the team’s new name.

“This issue is of personal importance to me,” Rivera said when the name change was originally broached. “I look forward to working closely with Dan Snyder to make sure we continue the mission of honoring and supporting Native Americans and our military.”

As such, any of those could be in play.

Red Wolves

“Red Wolves” is an interesting option, as it gained lots of traction among Washington fans on Twitter shortly after the name change was announced. Red wolves are an endangered species that reside in the southeastern United States.

Red Wolves was one of the 40,000 fan submissions for the team name choice. Perhaps Washington will roll with it if it gained enough support from the fans.