Madden 23: Washington Football Team reveals new name ‘Washington Commanders’

When NFL fans boot up Madden 23 next year, at least one team will look differently. The Washington Football Team will now be known as the Washington Commanders, complete with all new branding.

The Washington Football Team officially unveiled their new name today and, henceforth, shall now be called the Washington Commanders. A new name also comes with a new logo and new uniforms, all of which were shared on social media in a passionate video that acknowledges the rich history of the Washington team.

We also got a first look at what the new Washington Commanders uniform will look like. The team will retain its burgundy and gold color scheme, but it looks like they are adding an all black look to the mix, which looks absolutely fantastic.

There are some new brand elements to take note of, including its primary logo, its word mark and the team crest. The most noticeable is the primary logo, a “W,” which the team went into great lengths to explain the meaning behind.

"This symbol carries forward an element of the Washington Football Team chapter in the franchise’s history and acknowledges the team’s deep Washington roots, while the W’s angled cuts, bolded lines and serifs signify forward movement and progress. The slanted elements of the stripes bordering the “W” are inspired by military rank insignia, helping to infuse the familiar mark with elements of the team’s new identity."

There’s also the new word mark, or the full way in which Washington Commanders is written out. While it looks pretty straightforward, you’ll notice the “C” has some interesting cuts. Once again, there is deeper meaning behind how the name “Washington Commanders” is written out.

"In the word mark, “WASHINGTON” introduces the tall and proud letters of the team’s name. The cuts of the “C” lead the eye across the mark and the two stripes that frame the name pay homage to the D.C. flag and give the mark a sense of power and authority."

EA hasn’t officially acknowledged the Washington Commanders announcement yet, but it’s probably safe to assume their new branding will make it into Madden 23. Seeing as how we’re still months away from the game’s launch, there’s plenty of time to perform a uniform and branding swap. It will also be interesting to see if Madden 22 is updated to include the new Washington Commanders branding, seeing as how we’ve still got a few months left of this game’s lifecycle.

Washington temporarily changed its name to the more generic “Football Team” back in 2020 after years of controversy surrounding its offensive mascot and name. For the previous two seasons they’ve played as the Football Team which, while generic, was also kind of cool. I actually liked their mascot-less branding and the classic numbers on the sides of the helmet.

But the Washington Commanders still looks and sounds fine. I have no issue with it and, honestly, it has no impact on how Madden 23 will actually play. This was more about righting a decades-old wrong and finding a name that could be inclusive for everyone who loves football.