Washington Football Team to announce new name Feb. 2 and the internet has suggestions

A detailed view of the Washington Football Team logo at FedExField on December 20, 2020 in Landover, Maryland.
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 20: A detailed view of the Washington Football Team logo at FedExField on December 20, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. Photo credit Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Following years of criticism and pressure from Native American groups to change their team name from Redskins to something less culturally inappropriate, the franchise rebranded as the Washington Football Team will unveil their new name on Feb. 2.

And the internet has offered plenty of suggestions.

The previous team name had been around since 1937 and was called racist and insensitive by many Native Americans and activists for decades. Other organizations, including several NFL and team sponsors, also pushed for ownership to change the name.

Washington CEO Tanya Snyder told ESPN's Adam Schefter in September that there were eight name finalists: Armada, Presidents, Brigade, Defenders, Redhogs, Commanders, RedWolves, and Football Team. Although, they were reportedly down to three finalists.

Wolves and RedWolves are no longer in the running mainly due to trademark rights, according to team president Jason Wright.

"First, and I'll cut to the chase here, we can confirm that, after careful consideration, our team name will not be Wolves or RedWolves," Wright said in a statement.

"Early on we understood Wolves -- or some variation of it -- was one of our fan favorites. As I've said all along, we take feedback from our fans seriously, and because of your interest in this name, we put Wolves on a list of options to explore fully. Once we began looking into Wolves, however, we became aware of a notable challenge: trademarks held by other teams would limit our ability to make the name our own. And without Wolves, variations like RedWolves wouldn't have been viable either for these and other reasons."

Naturally, fans online have been giving their two cents about what the new team name should be. Here are some of the best recommendations:

Since the announcement is happening on Groundhog Day, some were hoping for Hogs or RedHogs, and many even suggested Redtails.

For fans hoping for a team name with more historical influence, how about the Washington Washingtons? Or even better, the Washington Georges?

Some fans suggested going back to the old team name, but inspired by the type of potatoes.

After the team's game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, a section of railing from the stands collapsed and nearly hit the Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Plenty of people online chimed in with ridiculous new names, all begging for the organization to fix their stadium.

Since the franchise has struggled on the field for a long time, one Twitter user suggested "The Washington Waybacks! They haven't been good since way back."

Other clever team name suggestions were the Commandos, Capitol Crashers, Tax Collectors and Weiner Dogs.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images