With Commanders unveiling "Super Bowl Era" throwbacks, Harris ownership group proves that it hears fans, new and old.
Details, details, details. Fans, players embrace modernized uniforms synonymous with team's glory days.
When Joe Gibbs and his Washington teams of the 1980s and early 90s dominated the NFL — an era that included three Super Bowl titles in four appearances — the franchise then known as the Redskins became synonymous with its Pro Bowl players, the power of the city, its fight song, and even the coveted uniforms the team wore on gamedays.
Darrell Green.
Washington, D.C.
Hail to the Redskins.
Burgundy and Gold — well, that is until the team seemingly tweaked its color scheme to a radiant, college-like red complimented by yellow tones on February 2, 2022.
Nearly two years after FedEx — whose founder Fred Smith owned a minority stake in the team and whose company owned naming rights to the team’s then-home of FedEx Field — released a statement in which it “communicated to the team in Washington” its request to move on from the nickname “Redskins,” then-owner Dan Snyder plunged a fanbase further into disarray by eradicating the team’s history and identity.
Not only did the name change, but so did the team’s historic look. And for loyal fans, that was the final straw.
The Commanders, to many, looked, sounded and felt like an expansion team. Maybe even a glorified college team. The big reveal for its new nickname was leaked by a local news chopper the night before the announcement.
The rollout was… unenthusiastic and lazily executed, to say the least.
“We are,” began legendary Redskins QB Doug Williams when prompted by NBC’s Craig Melvin to reveal the name, “the Commanders!”
An awkward pause and embrace with former DL Jonathan Allen as former team president Jason Wright watched and smiled.
An empty stadium on a frigid February day.
What can go wrong, DID go wrong.
The attention of what was supposed to be a monumental day and everything that went along with it carried over into Snyder’s final moments as owner. The Commanders era, whether fans liked it or not, was officially underway.
Some suggested the rebrand was Snyder’s way of giving the franchise one last kick in the leg before he sold team team and before the NFL fined him a record $60 million in July 2023 after an intense, months-long investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct.
But then came hope.
That same month, Josh Harris purchased the Commanders for a reported $6.05 billion. Harris, a native of Chevy Chase, MD, grew up a fan of the team.
Co-owners within his ownership group, including Mitchell Rales (Bethesda, MD) and Mark Ein (Chevy Chase, MD) lived in or grew up in DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia for those unaware) at some point in their lives.
They lived the glory days of Washington football.
They witnessed what made the team’s decade-long run so successful.
They get it.
So, on July 9, 2025, when the Commanders unveiled their “Super Bowl Era” alternate uniforms, there was a sense of relief, a mutual understanding between ownership, team and community. The reveal carried extra weight, as it came on the heels of an announcement that the team plans to open its new stadium in Washington, D.C. at the site of its former, nostalgic home, RFK Stadium.
The uniforms, which became tradition under Gibbs during his tenure as head coach, will be worn Week 9 vs. Seattle, Week 13 vs. Denver and Week 17 vs. Dallas, per the team. The widespread belief is that they will become permanent once the 2026 regular season rolls around.
The Harris Ownership Group nailed every detail, from the authentic burgundy colors, gold facemasks and striped socks down to the classic lettering on the nameplates.
It’s the little things.
They see it.
They get it.
Given the justified detachment some fans (or former fans) have felt since the change in name and look, a modernized update on a period defined by excellence on and off the field sheds light on an already-improved bond between this iteration of team ownership and its supporters.
A potential move back to the RFK Stadium site, a quarterback coming off an historic rookie season, a through-and-through “football guy” as head coach and reignited national interest in Washington football all certainly help the cause.
And Josh Harris, the man who proclaimed this past February that the team was "going to go back to our brand,” has already dusted off what became a forgotten about past and turned it into what fans of the team hope can be a refurbished reminder of what football in the nation’s capital used to be.
“One of my earliest memories is walking down East Capitol Street and into RFK Stadium,” Harris wrote back in May. “I grew up watching greats such as Sonny Jurgensen, Billy Kilmer, Joe Theismann, John Riggins, Doug Williams, the Hogs, Joe Gibbs, Darrell Green, Art Monk—and celebrating three Super Bowls. I know I’m not alone in those memories.”
They’re just uniforms, yes. Uniforms don’t guarantee success or exceptional on-field play.
But, to some, they’re more than a helmet-jersey-pants-sock combination.
To these fans, it’s a reminder of when everything was good. Josh Harris, even as owner, is one of those fans.
Because he knows.
Because he was there.
Because he gets it.
I love this story, the change in uniforms as well.. Go Commanders