If Magic Johnson does, indeed, change the Commanders moniker in Washington ... former star running back Brian Mitchell tells TMZ Sports he's sure fans would be in favor of it.
Magic -- who was part of a group that officially bought the D.C. franchise from Dan Snyder for $6.05 billion this week -- floated the idea of a name swap during an interview shortly after the deal went through.
"Everything is on the table," the NBA legend told TODAY's Craig Melvin.
The NFL’s Washington Commanders has been sold to a group led by billionaire Josh Harris and a group that includes NBA legend @MagicJohnson. @CraigMelvin sat down for an exclusive interview with Johnson to talk about ushering in a new era for the team. pic.twitter.com/Y3NvWjU9j9
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 21, 2023
When we spoke with Mitchell -- who played in Washington for 10 years -- about it all on Friday ... he made it clear he doesn't believe there would be many Washington fans who would be opposed.
"I think people had started to like the Washington Football Team [name]," the former All-Pro said. "Then you change it to a name that I don't think many, many people voted on or cared for. And, so, if it wanted to change, I don't think you'd have a lot of uproar with people."
Mitchell, though, did caution that it might be a lot for some fans to swallow. After all, it would be the fourth name the team's had since 2020.
Then again, Mitchell made it clear ... "you spend six billion, you get the right to name it whatever you want to name it!"
Potential team name change aside, Mitchell said he was fired up for Magic and the rest of the new owners to take control ... telling us he sees it all as "clean slate" for the Commanders to finally grow on.