Experts say rebrand, on-field struggles, lack of star players hurt Commanders merchandise rankings

The Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs, unsurprisingly, are the merchandise kings of the NFL, along with glamor teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. The Washington Commanders? Let’s just say there’s plenty of room for improvement. 

In its recent season-ending review, the NFL recapped some of the bestsellers from the league’s online shop. The Chiefs led overall sales while San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was the most popular player on the NFL’s online shop.

The Washington Commanders were not mentioned among the league’s most popular teams, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who followed the team as they limped to a 4-13 record in 2023. The NFL did not specify where the Commanders ranked on the list. 

The NFL’s Season in Review list echoed what Washington fans already know — their team is starved for star players. 

In a February report from the NFL Players Association, only one Commander ranked among the league’s top 50 most popular players. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin ranked 38th based on sales data from the league’s official partners. 

The players’ union said its rankings, which tracked sales from September through November, indicate the most marketable and influential players were Jalen Hurts and Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles, followed by the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.  

Sports apparel retailer Lids reported their bestselling jerseys last month, including players from playoff teams like the Cowboys, Chiefs and 49ers. No Washington players sniffed Lids’ list. 

Commanders players couldn’t out-sell rival teams even in the D.C. region. Jalen Hurts led jersey sales in Virginia while MVP Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens sold the most jerseys in Maryland, according to Lids. 

The merchandise sales, or lack thereof, are just one of the difficulties new owner Josh Harris will face in his first full offseason with the Commanders.

Once considered a premier NFL franchise, Washington saw its fortunes fall under former owner Dan Snyder. In 2013, the Commanders were the third-most valuable NFL franchise according to Forbes — they trailed only the perenially-contending New England Patriots and the rival Cowboys. In 2023’s ranking, the Commanders had tumbled to eighth. 

“The team’s erosion did not happen overnight and was a function of both what it did and what it failed to do,” said David Carter, founder of the Sports Business Group and an adjunct professor at USC. “A significant component of this was the apparent and growing loss in confidence from other NFL owners who believed the franchise was not living up to industry standards off-the-field.”

After initially saying he would never change the team’s name, Snyder adjusted the franchise’s moniker twice. They played as the Washington Football Team for two seasons before transitioning to the Washington Commanders in 2022. Fan reactions ranged from ambivalent to furious. 

“Rebranding campaigns can be compromised If they seem inauthentic or if the rebrand does not represent the needed repositioning and directional change sought by important business partners, especially the media, sponsors, and fans,” Carter said. 

Since abandoning the “Redskins” nickname in 2020, only two Washington players have scratched the NFLPA’s top 50 — McLaurin and former edge rusher Chase Young, who the team traded to the 49ers midseason. 

“They haven’t had star players per se, but I do think it’s cyclical,I think that can come,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, director of sports management programs at George Washington University.

She noted that these cycles — featuring success, a downturn, and a rebuild — take time. Just as the team’s reputation eroded gradually, any return to prominence will also be a long-term project.

“I compare it to steering a big ship. It takes a while to get back on course,” Delpy Neirotti said. “The new ownership is stable. They’re putting in infrastructures to make sure the team is headed in the right direction.”

The Commanders entered 2024 primed for a refresh. They welcomed a new coach and general manager to start the offseason, the first major hires of Harris’s tenure. The franchise also holds the No. 2 pick in April’s NFL draft and leads the league in cap space entering free agency. There is no time like the present for the Commanders to hit a hard reset to leave the past behind. 

For Washington, adding star players and a franchise quarterback could catapult the team back to national relevance, according to marketing experts. On-field success could erase the concerns of even the most jaded fans.  

“Winning cures all. Just get a winning team and everybody will forget what the name is, they’ll forget that the stadium is falling down, they’ll forget these things,” Delpy Neirotti said. “All fans care about is a winning team.”