This morning the NFL (in partnership with Nike) revealed the first 8 uniforms in their “Rivalries” collection, and there are some clear winners and losers. For those of you that do not get push notifications for all NFL related news like I do, I’ll provide some background.
The “Rivalries” campaign allows each team to design a new uniform to be worn during one game against a division rival. The concept is for these uniforms to pay homage to the history of their team, city, and fanbase, and have a completely new look and feel from any past uniforms. In other words, it’s a clever way to cause a massive surge in jersey sales.
While this feels like a lot of unnecessary build-up and hype for a jersey featured in one game, I’ll admit that this campaign is a massive upgrade from whatever “Color Rush” was and has resulted in some really creative designs thus far.
The first wave in this series was the AFC East and NFC West. Reviews & grades are below, ranked worst to best.
Let’s start with the worst.
Los Angeles Rams: ‘Midnight Mode’
Oh, LA. This is your best work? Trying to pass this design off as original because it has “Midnight” blue accents rather than the “traditional Navy” is… lazy… at best. This looks more like an alternate jersey for Michigan to wear when they play Ohio State than anything related to the LA Rams. According to their press release, the colors and details on the jerseys are inspired by the “colors and patterns surrounding them after the sun goes down.” ???? I’m not sure what that sentence is supposed to mean, and as a 10 year resident in Southern California am struggling to understand the patterns to which they are referring.
Another questionable design decision is stitching the phrase “Rams House” into the collar. A bold move for a franchise that is consistently overwhelmed with fans of the opposing teams. Their “house” is covered in a sea of red during 49ers games, causing the fanbase and even a few players to nickname Sofi Stadium “Levi’s South”.
The lack of Rams jerseys is to be expected though as I have yet to meet a fan with Rams merchandise more than 6 hours old.
GRADE: D
Miami Dolphins: ‘Dark Waters’
Tough one. These unis are sleek – I will start with that. The colors are appealing, I love the turbo green and orange on the helmets, and the iridescent aqua is giving “sea creature” vibes.
My main criticism is with the press release. It calls out Tyreek Hill and De’Von Achane as the “inspiration” for the design, citing their “speed and power” that is reminiscent of “dolphins in the water.” W h a t ? Wasn’t Tyreek requesting a trade via X last year? Isn’t Achane battling a calf injury? Sure – dramatic tweets and injuries are temporary – but still, linking your multi-year alternate uniform design to a guy who caught 6 touchdowns last season feels like a decision made at the 11th hour, rather than a creative muse.
Perhaps some corporate executive stood up at the final review meeting and shouted “BUT HOW DOES THIS DESIGN INCORPORATE THE CITY AND THE TEAM, GREG?!?” and then Greg, never good at thinking on his feet, quickly blurted out “Well sir, Tyreek is fast and Dolphins swim fast and there is water nearby so maybe that can be the connection sir.” Afterwards, everyone clapped and decided to add “Go Fins” to the collar and call it a day.
GRADE: C
New York Jets: ‘Gotham City Football Club’
I was today years’ old when I learned that the Jets’ nickname is “ The Gotham City Football Club.” Is that a real thing? How did I not know this? Why does the football team in The Dark Knight Rises look like the Steelers?
All that aside, this uniform design is pretty cool. I like the texture on the sleeves and the industrial vibe it’s giving off. I do not, however, like the press release describing these features as “a nod to the grit and grind of New York City and the Jets”. There are a lot of words I could use to describe the Jets and “grit” and “grind” are not two of them. Also, this team plays in New Jersey. Regardless, the overall look is cool and unique, and if I was a Jets fan I would still consider buying one so Mission Accomplished.
GRADE: B-
Arizona Cardinals: ‘Built to Last’
Very mixed thoughts on this one. The positives: It’s unlike any uniform I’ve seen before. The dust storms are so unique to Arizona, and I find the nod to the mining industry via the copper elements very clever. It screams “WE PLAY IN THE DESERT” – this design team understood the assignment.
The negatives: These almost look dirty??
After 8 years of living in AZ I can confirm that the desert slowly turns all your clothing beige, but I don’t know that I love that vibe in a jersey. I’m also not seeing any callouts to Cardinals fans or football in general. It feels very “state focused”, as if it could be a plug-and-play design for any Arizona sports team. (Side Note – isn’t Built to Last the marketing slogan for Ford F-150?)
GRADE: B
San Francisco 49ers: ‘For the Faithful’
I can always count on the 49ers to endlessly pander to the fan base. They have been pushing the term “Faithful” for years (Faithful to the Bay, the 49ers Faithful, etc) and while I love the catchphrase, I can’t help but laugh at the irony of it all. We, the faithful, are really not. We are one of the most bipolar fanbases in sports. We acquire Saleh and declare ourselves “Super Bowl Bound.” A month later we criticize the front office and decide all hope is lost. We have absolutely no faith in our kicker Jake Moody, and that alone may render us undeserving of the nickname. To be fair though, our punter did a Hail Mary before a field goal attempt, so it’s not like it’s just us.
Still – Even though we don’t live it, we love it. Being Faithful is our brand, and it’s nice to see not one but two nods in the rivalries design – Faithful above the numbers and “Faithful to the Bay” stitched inside the collar. The classic saloon font and gold elements also serve as a nice homage to the history of the California Gold Rush and origin of the team name.
GRADE: B+, but with an asterisk as I may do a full 180 and decide halfway through the season that I hate them.
Seattle Seahawks: ‘High-Decibel Zone’
Really tempting to give them an F because F the Seahawks. However, I’m trying to be objective and this is a very, very cool uniform design. The idea to incorporate a “soundwave” as a nod to the intensity and decibel level in Lumen Field is super original and something no other team or city could claim.
Like the 49ers, they did quite a bit of pandering towards their fanbase, the 12th man, by incorporating the number 12 everywhere. It is prominently stitched into the neckline, and there are a bunch of little 12s incorporated into the jersey numbers on the front and back. Some might say all that all these 12s have gone too far and it is very obnoxious and a total overkill but not me; I am an objective writer. The iridescent glow is awesome but whatever I hate this team and Sept 7th can’t come soon enough.
GRADE: A-. reluctantly
New England Patriots: ‘Nor’Easter’
The patriots are seemingly incapable of releasing anything without referencing their 6 Super Bowl wins, and at first glance, this is what I thought of the 6 red stars stitched along the neckline. I applauded the moxy. I quickly learned though that the number 6 also refers to the 6 states that make up “New England”, so these stars are actually pretty cool and not so braggadocious after all. What they will do when they win 7 Super Bowls though, is unclear.
The reflective silver elements pay homage to the “tallest nontraditional lighthouse in the country”, whatever that means, but I do love the look and really like the original shade of blue they used to refer to the fog and stormy weather.
The best part of the uniform is the incorporation of the iconic phrase “We Are All Patriots,” famously spoken by Robert Kraft after they won the Super Bowl 5 months after 9/11. Can’t argue with that.
GRADE: A for America
Buffalo Bills: ‘Cold Front’
By far the winner of this design contest (was it a contest?) is this spectacular submission by the Buffalo Bills. There are reports that this design was in development for two years and it shows.
The icy-white look is giving “White Walker” energy. The crystalized Buffalo detail on the sleeve is borderline couture. It encapsulates the spirit of Buffalo winters and pays tribute to their fans with the phrase “Bills Mafia” stitched into the neckline. No notes.
GRADE: A+
