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The 5 O’Clock Club: When would we see any changes to Commanders uniforms on the field of play?

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It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…

The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.

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Here’s how Sports Illustrated summarized managing partner Josh Harris’s recent comments about the Commanders brand:

[W]hen speaking with media this week owner Josh Harris shut down a name change from Commanders, however, when talking about uniform colors, he mentioned they would be going back to “our” brand.

[I]t does not seem as if the Redskins will be making a comeback anytime soon. While there has been recent merchandise and…such representing the former team name, the name itself seems to be off the table for Harris and the rest of the organization.

However, it does appear that they are looking to get back to a more classical look when it comes to the uniforms rather than the gaudy red uniforms we see now. The current uniforms lack much creativity and don’t really tie in anything that represents the community that is the DMV, so it is likely that Harris and company are looking to get back to the roots of the franchise when examining the next look of the Washington Commanders.

More comments on the Commanders name from Josh Harris:

Harris said the name is here to stay after inheriting it when he and his group bought the team from longtime owner Dan Snyder in 2023.

“I think it’s now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff, so, we’re going with that,” Harris said. “Now, in this building, the name Commanders means something. It’s about players who love football, are great at football, hit hard, mentally tough, great teammates. It’s really meaningful that that name is growing in meaning.”

Harris, who grew up as a Washington football fan, had previously said upon taking over that the team would not be going back to its old name that Snyder dropped in 2020. Aspects of the team’s history, including old uniforms, could return, and it’s unclear if there would be a new logo.

“As far as rebranding and bringing (back) our past, which obviously I grew up with and all the Super Bowl championships and our future together, you’re going to see us head back towards honoring our past and bringing it together with our future,” Harris said.

This has encouraged people to do more of what they were already doing — that is, making proposals about the look and trying to predict what’s going on.

Based on listening carefully to what Josh Harris has and hasn’t said in the 19 months or so that he has owned the team, here’s what I think probably will and probably won’t happen.

  • The Redskins name will not be coming back. That has been made clear on several occasions.
  • The Commanders name is not changing, based on what Josh Harris said with a microphone in front of him on two different occasions last week. “It’s time to move on” seemed pretty definitive.
  • The classic logo inspired by Chief John Two Guns White Calf seems as if it will not be making any sort of comeback as part of the player uniform, but it has been reported that the classic logo will be featured on ‘throwback’ merchandise like tee-shirts, posters, towels, etc. At Northwest Stadium earlier this season, the Commanders held a private ceremony for 22 of Wetzel’s descendants to unveil a memorial honoring him that features a large gold plaque crediting him with designing the logo and telling the story of his life as “a fervent advocate for Indigenous communities.”
  • Josh Harris stopped short of giving any specifics last week of how the franchise would be getting back to the brand, but I have a few obvious guesses.

(1) I expect the uniforms to see a slight color shift from the current color to a deeper burgundy and a ‘golder’ yellow color.

(2) I think stripes will be re-introduced — most likely on helmet, pants, sleeves and/or socks.

(3) I don’t expect the “W” logo to change, though it could possibly be ‘tweaked’. It’s possible that the team could attempt to integrate the old spear helmets as part of the NFL “throwback” program, though I imagine the team will tread carefully on any uniform elements that seem to blur the line between the old Redskins and the current Commanders monikers.

Let me stress that the changes I mention above to “get back to ‘our’ brand” are simply inferences and guesses on my part. I’m working with the same information as every other fan; I have no inside knowledge of what Josh Harris will actually do to make this happen.

Will we see new uniforms on the field in 2025?

There is one area that I think deserves a little discussion, and that is when we could expect any changes to show up in player uniforms.

Pursuant to Article 19 of the NFL Constitution and Bylaws, the League has the authority to approve changes in uniform appearance, including logos, colors and design. It says:

[I]f a club desires to make any changes in club colors, uniform appearance, designs of team helmets, designs of team uniforms, trademarks, or trade names, it must give written notice and details thereof to the League on or before March 1 of the year prior to the year in which it wishes to change; must comply with the uniform change notification and approval timeline as established by the League office and amended from time to time, the current timeline being attached hereto; and further must obtain approval from the League pursuant to the Section 19.9(D)(2) herein by December 1 of the year prior to the year in which it wishes to change; otherwise it shall have no right to make any change for the succeeding season.

[A] Club may not change its regular home and away uniforms more than once every five NFL seasons, and may not change its third uniform design more than once every five NFL seasons, absent specific extenuating circumstances (e.g., Club ownership change or relocation) as determined by the Commissioner.

If you find it tedious to unravel paragraphs written by lawyers, let me recap the key points from these three paragraphs:

Notice of change/approval of change

An NFL club needs to notify the league of proposed uniform change by March 1st and approval must be obtained from the league by December 1st of the year prior to the one in which the updated uniforms will be worn.

In other words, if the Commanders notify the league of proposed uniform changes in the next two weeks (i.e., before March 1, 2025) then those changes, if approved, would be seen on the field in the 2026 season, not the 2025 season. Changes for the coming ‘25 season would have had to have been submitted before March 1, 2024.

Unless there’s more to the story than I’ve seen reported, then any uniform re-design to move Washington back to “our brand” won’t be seen until Jayden Daniels’ 3rd NFL season.

Frequency of change

NFL clubs cannot change uniforms more than once every five seasons, though there is an exception allowed. The Commissioner can (but isn’t required to) approve a change in uniform design in less than 5 years in the case of “extenuating circumstances” (like a team relocation or ownership change).

It seems as the Washington franchise could easily make the case for ‘extenuating circumstances’ after two name changes and an ownership change since July 2020 (the team’s last uniform re-design was in the 2022 season). I haven’t seen any reporting so far that has said that the Commanders have asked for such an exemption.

The new team president

It seems worth remembering that Josh Harris recently hired a new team president to look after the business side of things.

Mark Clouse had previously been the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Campbell’s Company since 2019.

“In Mark, we have found a dynamic leader with a stellar track record of guiding organizations to excellence, building brands that connect deeply with consumers, and ultimately delivering best-in-class experiences and lasting memories,” Commanders managing partner Josh Harris said in a news release.

Clouse has a reputation as a ‘brand builder’, and it seems likely that this is a major part of the reason why he was recruited to his high-level executive role with the Commanders franchise.

Clouse has only been on the job officially for a couple of weeks, so the organization’s brand strategy may not yet be fully developed, and the brass may have their collective eye on 2027 as the time for a more complete re-brand, allowing (a) the league’s 5-year ticker to reach the reset point, and (b) sufficient time for Clouse to develop a cohesive branding strategy.