The Lions unveiled their new uniform set last night, confirming the leaks from earlier in the day. Is it a perfect set? No. But is it a big upgrade? Definitely.
Here’s a breakdown, one uni element at a time:
The New Shade of Blue
Here you go! pic.twitter.com/fyHqT84YJZ
— Christian S (@Sanchlinz) April 19, 2024
The team is saying that the new shade of Honolulu blue is “richer.” I don’t have the official before/after color specs, but the tweet shown is a good starting point.
The New Primary Helmet
I believe this is the fifth different helmet striping pattern that the Lions have had in the last 25 years. That’s way too many, but I do like the Mustang-inspired stripes that they’re using here, and it meshes nicely with the stripes on the jersey sleeves and the silver pants.
In theory, I’m fine with the Lions having a blue facemask; in practice, I wish this one were just a bit darker. I think this is one element for which the old shade of blue would’ve been better.
As had been anticipated, the back of the helmet now has the “WCF” perma-memorial for William Clay Ford — a much better spot for it than on the jersey.
Uni Watch reader Mason Sultana, who attended the team’s live unveiling event last night (for which there was no livestream, oddly), says Lions CEO Rod Wood explained this move like so: “In the league, sleeves are getting shorter and shorter. We wanted to honor Mr. Ford in a different way.”
The New Blue Uniform
Very, very solid. They look like the Lions again! No nonsense, no bullshit. The striping pattern on the sleeves and pants is unique but not forced — it works.
Here are about two dozen additional pics — all of which, intriguingly, feature the grey/silver pants. Could they be abandoning the monolulu blue look? I doubt it (quarterback Jared Goff is on record as loving the “blueberry” look), but it’s certainly a good sign that they didn’t include the mono combo in the unveiling imagery.
The New White Uniform
Not bad, but not as good as the blue-jersey combo, because (a) that chest wordmark is brutal and (b) the blue and white pants — unlike the silver/grey pants — don’t have any stripes. Are those crippling flaws? No. But they definitely put these combos a full notch below the blue combo.
Although the Lions didn’t provide any pics of the white jersey being paired with the silver/grey pants, that will probably happen at some point.
Additional pics here:
Wondering how this might have looked with striped pants? Reader/designer Chris Diamond helpfully provided these mock-up concepts:
The Black Alternate
Ay yi yi — what a disaster. Worst helmet in the league — an instant anti-classic. Somewhere, Matt Millen is smiling, and that alone is reason enough to hate this design.
In addition to the requisite mono-black look, the Lions are threatening to wear this jersey with blue pants, which seems like it must violate some sort of international armistice or something:
Additional pics here, if you dare:
Wood, the CEO, said last night that the BFBS uni was a reward to head coach Dan Campbell for winning the division last season. That doesn’t make much sense, given what we know about how far in advance these types of decisions are made, but that’s their story. And now we know that Campbell has terrible taste.
The Throwback
The Lions are keeping their 1950s-themed throwback, which they’ll presumably wear on Thanksgiving.
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A few additional notes:
- It’s very unusual for one of the primary jerseys to have a chest wordmark while the other does not. Personally, I wish neither of them had the wordmark, but it’s almost refreshing to encounter an NFL uni set where the white and colored jerseys have slightly different formats instead of just slavishly repeating the same thing with different colors.
- While the black alt is a disaster, it’s a relief to see that the there’s no black trim on the primary uniforms.
- It’s also a relief that there’s no grey alternate. Phew!
- I believe this is the first time we’ve seen an NFL team use Nike’s pinhole-perforated number fabric. Looks silly in the photos, but MLB’s new number perforations haven’t been visible during game broadcasts this season, so I’m hoping that’s the case here as well.
- Kinda surprising that they’ve abandoned the prowling lion logo just one season after putting it on the alternate helmet.
- The team’s cheerleaders also got new uniforms:
We got some new threads, too 🖤 pic.twitter.com/dR2sUp7pvJ
— Lions Cheerleaders (@DETLionsCheer) April 18, 2024
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Overall: Not quite a home run, but a solid triple, and a welcome return to aesthetic respectability. Let’s hope they restrict the black alt to just one game and, just as importantly, resist the use of monolulu blue.
The BFBS nature of the blue helmet is unarguable, but… I think it actually looks very sharp. This doesn’t strike me as destined for infamy. I’d say as far as current third helmets it is better than the Colts’ black helmet, Houston’s red, Chicago’s orange, NO’s black, or Arizona’s black/red monstrosity.
I agree that this helmet is better than those, except the Houston Red. I actually really like that alternate. I think the Bears Orange is by far the worst alternate helmet in the league, with the Bengals White probably being the best.
I agree. Maybe it was the lighting, but it feels sharp. Yes totally agree that it seems like the panthers. But, I see the lions as owning that shade of blue. Honolulu blue is synonymous with Detroit , because of the absurdity of its name. Similar to the Flynt Tropics in Semi Pro. Regarding the all white look, the pants should definitely have matching stripes.
I think the blue/black/blue could work! I’d have to see it in action, but it’s way better than all black.
Definitely agree. The helmet looks great and works very well with the black jersey. It almost works so well that the black uniform is forgivable. Almost…
I actually agree that in a vaccum it’s a decent uniform, it just doesn’t feel very “lions”. Looks like something that the Carolina Panthers or Memphis should be wearing.
White accentuates, black detracts.
Completely agree with Paul’s assessment. The alternate black set looks like it would belong to the Panthers, not the Lions. If you flipped a game on you’d probably just assume the Panthers were playing.
Ideally they mothball all parts of the alternate set, as well as the white and blue pants. All they need are the silver pants to pair with both the white and blue jerseys and it is a great look.
I’m calling it the Caro-Lion-a uniform.
Lose that one, along with the white pants, and Detroit would have a real winner.
At least there was more good than bad in this reveal.
And based on teams’ annoying habits of wearing alts against teams with those same colors, I’m sure we will see the Black and Blues against the Panthers!
I think the blue pants are fine if they put stripes on them like in the mockup provided. They did have them in the barry era after all. The only risk would be that it increases the mono potential. Agree that the white (and obviously the black) pants are a waste any way you slice it
I agree with Paul assessment as well. However, the home uni is a beauty and classic.
The organization botched the away and the alternate uni. Why the hell would you put ‘detroit’ or ‘lions’ on the uniform? This takes away from the uniform itself. It’s gimmicky. Also, for them to allow Nike to not have stripes on the white and blue pants is a complete joke. The Lions should have taken a anonymous poll about stripes on pants and the name of the front of the uni. They could have done with without revealing much insight on the uniforms itself.
Here’s my grade
Home – A
Away – D
Alternate – D
It’s the lighting: the blue in other photos looks kinda like last year’s alternative helmet, which had a great shade of blue. Hopefully it comes off better in real life because you’re right, they just look like knock-off Panthers here.
What an upgrade. They’re gorgeous except for the BFBS. Might consider painting a room in that blue even though I’m not a fan. Anyone know the paint code? TIA.
I agree with Paul, this is a triple. It would have been perfect if the white jersey did not have the wordmark above the numbers and the white and blue pants have stripes. I wish the no stripe on the pants trend would end. Hopefully in the next couple of years, the Lions will introduce white/blue pants with stripes, much like how the Browns added orange pants shortly after they brought back their classic uniforms.
I am thrilled to see the Lions go back to the block numbers. It’s so nice to see legible numbers and Detroit is a town that should have no nonsense block numbers.
I don’t care about the black alternate, so I won’t critique it. Let Nike do its BS on that uniform, but leave the traditional home/away uniforms alone. I don’t care if the black uniform doesn’t have stripes on the pants or that there’s a wordmark on it. It’s an unnecessary uniform.
I’m not superstitious when it comes to uniforms. So I’m not saying Detroit should have dumped the plain white pants after losing handily in the NFC championship. I’m saying they should have dumped them because it’s a bad look.
For those who are superstitious, I have to ask: why do whiteout and blackout unis get a free pass? When a team wears some other funky combo and loses a big game there are cries of “these uniforms are cursed!” You never hear that after a whiteout or blackout, though.
Losing handily? What game did you watch?
They lost the second half of the game handily.
I should have said “… after blowing a big lead and losing the NFC championship.”
Go talk to Florida Gator fans. After resisting for years, the team finally busted out black unis last year, where they promptly lost to Arkansas. No Gator fan wants to see all black ever again.
These are an improvement, save the black alternate. Paul is 100% correct, they look like the Lions again.
The “Detroit” wordmark on the white jersey and rear helmet bumper looks like a similar design to the Tigers’ CC cap leak.
Which is my way of saying I really, really hope that is not the CC crap…I mean…cap.
To be clear, do you think a gray alternate is just a bad look for the Lions period? I think it could look okay (certainly preferable to black) if it was executed well and never paired with the gray pants.
I don’t like grey as a football uniform color, for any team.
And it looks even worse because the Lions play indoors. Would it look better in the sunshine? Probably not by a whole lot, but certainly better that it did indoors. Glad they ditched the grey regardless.
I’d rather have last year’s blue/gray/gray than the Caro-Lion-a uni.
Even better, I’d rather have a lighter gray road uni with dark numbers, sort of like the Seahawks’ recent blue/gray/gray set.
That was beautiful.
For anyone wondering how I got the mock-ups of the striped pants done so quick, I’d already created a very similar Lions design (stripes wise) for my “What If All ‘Cat’ Teams Were Like the Michigan Panthers?” piece –> link Lions–> link Obviously the Lions had the new designs done way before that, but it makes me wonder if their new design also takes some inspiration from the Michigan Panther uniforms?
Completely agree Paul! The black is horrible and they’ve ruined the alternate helmet. The previously used black unis sucked and so do these
All white socks continue to be an abomination.
High Whites >>>>> Yoga Pants
The way I see it, if the Lions win the Super Bowl they’ll either be wearing the Home or Away uniforms which both look fantastic. So, I’m indifferent about the Alternates. Shockingly there is a large portion of the fan base that wanted Black back, and giving them the Alts is fine by me. If first night reactions mean anything, the Black was by far the most popular at the Lions store.
The NFC is the home team this year.
The silver/blue/silver vs Kansas City in red/white/red is going to be the best looking Super Bowl ever.
I would love that uni matchup!
I think I might like the black alts, but I will need to see them on the field, hopefully with the blue pants. I think they’re going to look great overall! Glad to see they kept it simple and gave us what we want…now just keep it that way.
Nice move with the memorial onto the helmet as well.
I just want to sit in on a conversation when they are designing pants. The stripes look so good on the “silver” pants, they have to know this right? How can they have this great, custom Ford Mustang stripe and just omit it from 3/4 of the pants. It’s such a waste of a unique design element. Pants stripes are a GOOD THING.
I’ve been vocal about how sloppy teams look with their sock decisions, especially during a uniform unveiling. If there is one time you want your players to look oh I don’t know, uniform, it’s when you’re showcasing them! Goff has on tights with the horrible seams while Hutchinson has socks scrunched down around his calves.
Overall, they feel incomplete. Had they had the Mustang stripe on every pair of pants, this is a homerun. However, it feels like we got one great home uniform mixed together with a bunch of practice pants.
As I wrote downthread, stripeless pants make the player’s legs look smaller, weaker, and slower. The whole point of pants stripes (hip to knee along the seam) has always been to make the legs look stronger, more powerful, and faster while in motion by highlighting the curvature and movement of the leg. It’s an optical illusion but a very effective one.
Agree wholeheartedly. Someone needs to tell Hutchinson, “Hey, kid, this is the pros. This isn’t college. Pull your socks up.”
I completely agree with the opinions above about the pants without striping, the unnecessary wordmark and the BFBS uniform (and Campbell not having any taste in uniforms but he is still more of a player than a coach and players love BFBS for some unfathomable reason). All in all an improvement for the team.
But the smiling cheerleaders with the upbeat music in their sparkling new uniforms really made the sun shine for me just now. I cannot help but smile. They look like they are enjoying themselves. Usually I am not a big fan of cheerleaders (unnecessary distraction from the game) but I cheer for these cheerleaders.
“…players love BFBS for some unfathomable reason.”
Man, this. Whenever there’s a player quote (from any team) about BFBS uniforms, the quote is always very, very positive. Players *love* BFBS uniforms.
I do unironically love the “do this and we’ll bring back black uniforms.” Especially since the Sixers did the same with Ben Simmons winning ROTY. It kinda adds a almost whimsical element lol
It’s not hard to see how it was done either: the ford’s probably told Nike to make a black uni and told them the deal they made with Coach, so if they didn’t win the NFC North they would have held it until like next year or whatever
I actually don’t hate the black uni’s. They are at least much better than the black uni’s of the Millen era cause they don’t have the bright white number outlines.
I kind of just submitted to the fact that black uni’s is where they were going. If they have to do a color rush, black is really the only color they could do. They tried the all Grey’s and they were awful. They already have all blues and all whites in the base set, so really all black was the only thing they could do if they wanted an alternate color rush. I’m just hoping it looks better on the field than it does in these photos where they clearly wanted them to have a glow to them in the dark light.
But why not an actual silver mono-uniform instead of the dull gray?
No swoopy pointy things! Yaaaaaay!
A few points:
-the cardinals also use the perforated numbers
-the lack of stripes on most pants was supposedly so that they could mix and match the pants with other jerseys without the stripes clashing, which doesn’t really add up.
-the press release said that both the blue and white jerseys can be worn with blue, white, striped silver, and plain silver pants
-the poster they gave out at the event did have a photo of a player in the “blueberry” look
I think the blue/black/blue look is great.
In what world does Honolulu blue resemble a blueberry? Did Goff mean blue raspberry (which obviously isn’t real, but the colour matches the candy perfectly)?
Fans call the all blue jersey combo blueberry’s, and they were like 8-0 in them.
The question still stands. Have those fans seen a blueberry?
I can dig the white and blue pants with the stripes. The solid pants just look so 90’ish NCAA.
Mostly good. My main concern is the pants. I fear we will see them pair the blue pants and jersey or just not wear the silver pants as much as they should. Of course the alt uniform is just trash too.
The “home” blue with grey striped pants is just a hair short of perfection; if it had silver numbers with white trim like the Lions did in the ’70s, it’d be perfect.
Perhaps at some point the Lions will pair the white jerseys with the grey striped pants and have another outstanding combo. Stripeless pants just don’t do it for me; the whole point of pants stripes has always been (in addition to covering up seams) to make the legs look more powerful and the player look faster while he’s running, by highlighting the curvature and movement of the leg. Stripeless pants (of any color) somehow make the players’ legs look smaller, weaker, and slower.
And I have to agree; that BFBS variant with the bright-blue helmet is a train wreck, which only goes to show that block numerals and old-school stripes don’t necessarily rescue a bad overall design, or in this case a bad color scheme. That said, the blue-pants combo will probably look a lot better than the mono-black.
Also, the chest wordmarks — and the way they push the front numerals down — heighten my appreciation for the Jets’ redesign, which keeps the numbers (in that great old Champion font) right where they belong.
So great to see the WCF removed from the jersey. Now if we can get the Bears to get rid of the GSH on their sleeves.
So close. I really don’t understand (and many appear to agree) the tendency to have pants with no stripes. They look sooooo much better with stripes. And the mix and match explanation is nonsense. Also, for this team with a silver helmet, I hate the white pants, stripes or not (although the stripes do make them more tolerable). Any light color/white/white combo looks off to me (Saints, Lions, Packers, etc.).
Re the black set, I can’t believe I am typing this, as I hate all the BFBS shit, but the blue/black/blue combo actually looks good to me. I don’t get as much of a Panther’s vibe since the blue is that bright blue vs say a Carolina blue. I’ll be interested to see it on the field. The blue/black/black set, which will probably be what they choose most, blows donkey, particularly with the lack of stripes and the inevitable scuba look with solid black socks that coming.
I said this over and over again re the Jets’ old, and for that matter, the current set: If they paired the black jersey with green pants, it would look so much better than the all black bullshit. It’s totally generational though, as my kids, and the players who are young enough to be my kids, all seem to love that crap.
“I hate all the BFBS shit, but the blue/black/blue combo actually looks good to me.” Me too to a T!
I too also don’t understand all the commentary about the Carolina Panthers considering:
1. The Carolina Panthers have never had nor worn a Blue helmet in their existence.
2. See number 1.
IMO…
Home: A (so so good)
Road: C+ (would become a B+ if they added stripes to both the white and blue pants like the mockup)
BFBS: C- (I honestly think the set looks much better with the blue pants, but it’s only there to sell merch so whatever. I actually kinda dig the helmet for some reason.)
We have to admit it is a trend in the NFL currently. Teams adopting a black third uniform even if they do not have black in primary uniform colour scheme.
That was a “trend” in the NFL 20 years ago, although back then it was teams that already had black as a trim/accent color adding black jerseys (see: Jaguars, Ravens), then teams adding black as a trim color and then adding a black jersey (see: Lions). One could argue that it goes back further than that, to 1990 when the Jets added black trim to everything (but no black jersey), and the Falcons went from red jerseys and helmets to black jerseys and helmets; then in the mid-90s all three expansion teams (Panthers, Jaguars, and technically, Ravens) had black in their color schemes. By 2002 a whole bunch of teams had gone from light or medium-colored jerseys to dark-colored jerseys; the Broncos, Patriots, Oilers-Titans, Rams, and Bills all went to dark navy, the Seahawks darkened their blue in two shades, while the Eagles and Jets went from kelly green to midnight green and hunter green, respectively, and the Bucs went from orange and white to red and pewter.
Detroit Lions fan here:
-The black uniform as a whole is a homerun so far in Detroit, fans are buying it up in bunches. I was really against the black uni return, however, that blue helmet really makes the alt uniform pop. I didn’t want to look like the Panthers, and this alt uni has enough differences
-The players love the Detroit wordmark above the number on the white uni, they want to take Detroit with them wherever they play
-The pants should have striping on them, but the fear was that by having stripes, you couldn’t mix and match them (say the blue pants with the black uniform)
Overall, fans are pumped that we finally have a good look in the Motor City, and I can live with a wacky alternate uniform because it isnt the gray pajamas, and the primaries are so well done
Seems like every other “new” uniform design. Plain jersey with block numbers and stripes on the sleeves just rendered in team colors. What happened to uniqueness and quirks that make a team stand out
Setting aside the black alternate, I’d grade the new unis an A and call them the best in Lions history. The consistent Mustang striping, the color balance, the numbers, just top notch all around. As for the alt, it absolutely doesn’t belong in the Lions locker. But it’s also a very nicely designed use of black and blue, and among the most attractive black-dominant football uniforms I’ve ever seen.
Of course the “Get off my lawn” sentiments of the BFBS are reigning supreme here, but objectively, the Blue helmet is exceptional. IF they had an alternate set of Honolulu Blue pants with stripes matching the helmet, I would have loved it even more.
Please wear the White jerseys with silver pants and Blue socks.
I want teams to stop avoiding pants stripes. More Stripes. More consistent striping. But the whole uniform set is great.
I like the black jersey if paired with the silver helmet and silver pants. The all black look is an abomination. And that new blue helmet is hideous.
Anyone else notice that the fabric perforations don’t continue on to the underarm sections on any of the newly announced jerseys for this season? None of these have them, and on the Jets unveiling only the white jerseys did (presumably because they existed last year.) I wonder why this would be?
Indeed, a drastic improvement. I completely agree about the need for stripes on the blue and white pants…would love to see that same pattern on the silver pants replicated on the others…but even one thin contrasting stripe would help.
As I’ve lamented many times, mono-anything for any team looks terrible to me, whether it’s black, white, or any other color…BFBS should have died as a thing at least a decade ago…and I think mono jersey/pants looks particularly ridiculous with a different colored helmet.
But having said all that, in a vacuum, I actually don’t hate the black jersey, and I like it a lot more with blue pants and the blue helmet. Is it necessary, no…and does it really fit the Lions as a franchise, no. But I like it more than I thought I would, and I certainly like it more than that mono-silver/gray business they were wearing the last couple of years. The previous blue helmet was significantly better than this one, but I think it would need to be reworked to fit with the black jersey (again, IF you’re going to insist on a black jersey).
So yeah…not a perfect score, but a strong B+. Maybe A-.
I see this comment a lot re mono: “I don’t like mono white”. For some reason, that’s the mono that looks fine to me. Think, Colts in all white. Looks fine. To me, it’s the mono in any other team color that looks bad, and honestly, it’s the jersey/pant in dark colors that is the issue. Not sure why all white is OK with me. Maybe because it’s what has been common before?
Colts in all-white is an exceptional look. And a rare exception to my dislike of the “icy” uniform.
They pull it off because of the prominent helmet logo, the helmet, shoulder and pants stripes, and the properly sized numbers. It looks good in any condition, even on sunny days or in a snowstorm.
Most all-white unis are good only on cloudy days or indoors. Even then, some of them I don’t like. Looking at you, Penn State.
Heck, I don’t even like the white background for this website. Can it be in legal pad yellow instead?
I love snow, but I don’t love teams looking as if they’re covered in it.
Interesting. Re your comments on the Colts, that tracks with why I always liked the Jets’ Namath era all whites, and the ones Parcells brought back. I think you are right: having enough on the helmet and sleeve/pants stripes makes it work.
Namath/Parcells Jets were another great one!
Bills and Oilers, not so much. They needed the blue pants. Cardinals and Patriots were good, but way better with red road pants.
Why hold off the inevitable: Just have every team in every league wear black.
Sheesh.
NFL “Players Weekend” (a la MLB)? Have half the teams in black and the other half in mono-white?
link
You mean like almost every weeknight college football game?
Why fans go nuts over their teams looking exactly like everyone else is totally beyond me.
I’m a Lions fan. I LOVE the new blue uni, really like the white one, and I kinda like the black one — if they’d pair it with the regular silver helmet.
Love the unis. The hatred of black unis is so interesting to me. I think the blue/black/blue is GREAT! Overall, a solid uni-set upgrade.
That’s what I thought! The honolulu blue on the black looks so sharp.
I don’t think anyone hates black.
It’s black for black’s sake that is the issue.
This is me: I hate BFBS, not black. I also hate mono, and especially mono-white or mono-black. And don’t get me started on white helmets. First politician to end every speech, Cato-like, “And furthermore, white football helmets must be destroyed,” gets my eternally loyal vote.
If the Lions had black as a team color, then the new Lions alternate would rank highly on my list of best-designed football uniforms of all time. Black and bright blue are hard colors to balance well, and this uniform just nails it from head to toe. Add the Mustang stripes to the pants and it would be unimprovably perfect. It’s not the black that I mind, it’s the gratuitousness of wearing a dominant color that’s not a team color for obvious merch-sales purposes that I mind.
To me, black is neutral, so it doesn’t count as a color. If every team had a black uniform, that would be the same concept in my mind as every team having a white uniform. And in fact, in the most technical sense, black truly ISN’T a color. Each color is a specific wavelength of light, but black is the complete absence of light. So I would have a huge problem if every NFL team randomly decided to wear a blue uniform. That would look absurd on the teams who don’t normally use blue as part of their color palette. But if every team had a black uniform, to me that would just look like a different canvas on which to paint the team colors. I’m fine with that.
And for what it’s worth, I think the blue-black-blue Lions combo looks absolutely amazing, especially since that’s about the most beautiful shade of blue in existence.
Nailed it.
Nobody complains about the Raiders, White Sox, Kings, etc. wearing black, because it’s a natural part of their color palette.
But imagine the Raiders with a Honolulu Blue alternate jersey. For “reasons.”
I guess that is the beauty of the world. Everyone has a right to their opinion. I laughed because I think their alternate blue helmet is the nicest helmet in the league, not the worst! What a beautiful helmet and really, kick ass uniform.
Man, as a Lions fan the blue & white uniforms are just about perfect, but like other people have said, the black makes them look like the Panthers
The black alt is a costume. Total edge lord nonsense.
But the rest? Rock solid. Dramatic improvement. Like others have said, lose the word mark and add some stripes to the away pants and you’ve got a damn near perfect look.
If it was up to the players every team would wear head to toe black every game and theoretically be SO INTIMIDATING neither would even show up on the field. Black as a color hasn’t been intimidating once everyone that wears a black leather jacket is either a soccer mom at a Applebees on Saturday night, or a lawyer/doctor riding a $40,000 Harley.
I was thinking about the striping this morning on my way home from dropping the kids off from school and, as Paul noted, love that they found a unique striping pattern that still feels very familiar. “Unforced” was a great way to put it. I love to reverse engineer/think about how things came to be (“what idea did they start with that lead to this?”) and thought Detroit > Motor City > auto industry > …these stripes kinda look like a two-lane highway! The thick median down the middle and the edge lines on the shoulder… Paul mentioned they look like Mustang stripes (also love that story), so I doubt it was the real inspiration but it was a fun connection to make.
saw this on Twitter, not official specs but a good side by side of the home jerseys to see the difference in blue link
Blue and white look great. I don’t understand why the NFL would allow the blue helmet with black cat logo that looks exactly like the Carolina Panthers.
“In the league, sleeves are getting shorter and shorter. We wanted to honor Mr. Ford in a different way.” – Uh-uh…Sure Jan. Or maybe, just maybe, trying to replicate the Bears’ unique “GSH” sleeve perma-memorial was a misstep from the gate?
NFC NORTH best all around division for uniforms! Denver holding the AFC West back from an easy 1st.
LOVE the black look AND the new alternate helmets. You can keep spitting out the letters BFBS if that helps you feel better, but it won’t make this look less cool. Maybe it’s not classic or traditional, but who cares?
I agree, the wordmarks are horrible…get rid of them. That being said, here are my thoughts:
Blue Jersey–just about perfect. I like the sleeve stripes and the white block letters. The shade of blue is really nice as well. Easily my favorite out of the sets. I like the stripes on the silver helmet.
White Jersey–I never really liked white football jerseys. The pants need some sort of stripes. Get rid of the “Detroit” wordmark. Not bad, but not my favorite.
Black Jersey/Blue Helmet–That is a sharp color combination. I wasn’t really excited to see it at first, but I liked it more than I thought I would. The helmet will really stand out. Anyone who compares these to the Panthers uniforms is blind. They are not even close in color or design. Again, get rid of the “Lions” wordmark and they are my 2nd favorite. I might pick up a black Barry Sanders jersey since I have a blue 1996 replica jersey of his.
Alternate helmet from last season–Its a shame that was one-and-done. I thought the helmet was perfect and would have went really well with the black jerseys, even if they had to change the shell color a little bit. I’m just glad the grey pajama color rush uniforms are in the waste bin.
“Worst helmet in the league — an instant anti-classic.”… Texans say “hold my beer”.
Home unis look like an NFL team’s.
Away unis look like a college team’s.
Black alternate looks like an XFL/USFL/Arena/CFL team’s.
Throwback is unnecessary. It’s not different enough from the standard home look to justify existing.
The home uni might be one of the top 5 in the league.
I don’t hate the blue,/black/blue look but I do dislike it as a Lions’ look. It seems very Carolina or (like I said above) minor league. Blue/black/black looks like a high school team.
Don’t lump either version of the USFL with those others.
My sister and brother-in-law were at the event, and the reception was pretty positive. It seems a lot of folks like the wordmark on the white jersey because it’s a reminder that it’s “Detroit vs. Everybody”, and people are apparently already calling it “the 313 jersey” because of the hanger-effect element. I’m not a fan of such wordmarks, but I don’t hate it.
And I don’t hate the BFBS unis, though I don’t love them either. I’ll wait and see how they look in game action before making a final judgment.
Overall, I think it’s a vast improvement over the outgoing set. Hated the bespoke numbers because they were ugly and sometimes just hard to read.
Arizona Cardinals new uniforms have the same perforated numbers. It’s not an NFL first.
Ah, thank you for that!
Since the Browns were able to add orange pants after their unveiling, I wonder if the Lions can add blue and white pants with stripes if they get enough people asking for it?
Add that element, and I could see these uniforms lasting for a decade or more.
Apparently the NFL has a 5 pant maximum, one of the Detroit beat reporters asked a similar question. They currently have 5 (silver w/ stripe, silver w/o stripe, blue, white, black)
A solid set if they’ll limit the Monolulu Blue and end the fascination with the all white britches. I’m surprised how much I like the black jersey with the blue pants (used sparingly). For some reason it works for me.
I agree, the Lions are looking like they are back! Love the number font, stripes and colors.
I’m actually OK with the black alternate. There have been way worse. The helmet pops! Just don’t wear it too much. Pairing with the blue pants has an albeit slight redeeming quality to it. Overall, a welcome change, especially with the block numerals coming back.
I guess I’m in the minority but absolutely love the alternate helmet. I really like the black jersey with the blue pants. It also weirds me out that I’m seeing so many complaints about how similar the black set looks to the panthers even though it’s a blue helmet but no one talks about how similar the white/blue jerseys and silver pants look is, and always has been, to Dallas.
Who the heck cares about what Paul (whatever his name is) thinks about our new unis? The Lions did a fantastic job on them and the players love ‘em
Nobody ever said you had to care what I think. You’re completely free to not care!
But if you don’t care, one might reasonably wonder why you came to this website.
Signed,
Ol’ Whatshisname
Feels like we’ll be referring to you as Ol’ Whatshisname by mid-June… XD
“Personally, I wish neither of them had the wordmark”
Agree 100%. The wordmark on the white jersey makes the numbers a bit too low and makes the front of the jersey feel out of balance to me.
The black uniforms are easily my favorite. Love love looooove the look, super sharp and excellent helmet color to compliment it. Surprised so many people hate it so much. Ahh well, more for me.
After reading the numerous conflicting opinions about the Lions’ new uniforms, I’ve come to the conclusion that I really don’t care what they wear, as long as they win the Super Bowl.
I have waited my entire life, plus twenty years for the Lions to win a championship and I don’t want to be one of those Cubs/Red Sox fans who died in their 90s’s without experiencing the sweet taste of victory.
I’m tired of using the slogan “Rebuilding Since 1957” to describe the team’s current status.
Please just once, before I die.
The biggest shame in all of this, for me, is that the black uniform with the blue pants and helmet would’ve been such a fantastic look for the Panthers. Put the Panthers logo on that helmet and add black stripes to the blue pants, and that would be a top 5 uniform for me. Now that color combo is basically off the table for them lest they be accused of copy-catting (pun unintended)
Thanks to Chris Diamond for showing how striped pants would look. My theory (and that of a zillion other people) was confirmed! Ford family, take note.
Have mostly agree here with you, Paul. I feel stripes on the blue, white pants should be apart on set. Wordmark is usually lame no matter who does it. All in all, they really did a great job with home and road sets.
However, rolling with black again is very surprising and Wood looks like a liar. I mentioned on a few older posts that he was against it and others too, so very surprised and disappointed personally. What’s more bizarre is the fact the Logo certainly doesn’t appear to be black; rather a darker blue. So, black and two blues on one helmet. I agree they missed here.
Detroit is a bit limited with the color scheme but why not go where I thought they may and try two shades of blue for an alternate? Just look to numerous brands in any part of life you go. I thought that would be an option at least. Ford Blue and primary blue as example. I also thought trying a different shade of grey could be an alternate option as an accent.
In summary, I like it but would have loved it if they tried something cool and different for the Alternate, not black. Old school lion logo, primary blue helmet, pants, darker blue uni with white numbers, grey mixed in to compliment. Hopefully they will add stripes to the white and blue pants, which I think they will soon. Otherwise, great look again.
Sorry, but I LOVE the black alternate, especially the helmet.
Why does Nike insist on a lack
Why does Nike insist on a lack of consistency across a single team’s design? They did it with the Commanders – one set is BFBS, another set in the same design has no black, and a third set has black and burgundy and no yellow. Some of the numbers had gradients, other did not. It was done to a lesser degree with the Falcons, Cardinals and Bengals redesigns.
Here, they nailed it with the blue primary/home jersey and silver pants. Helmet, sleeve and pants stripes are consistent. No wordmark. But then the white jersey has a wordmark, and both the white and blue pants have no stripes! Take the thing that worked and carry it through the design. Even the BFBS, which I don’t like, has some stripes and no wordmark.
I love the home and away uniforms. Timeless, clean, classic. The black uniforms would look great on the Carolina Panthers. As an alternate, they should have gone with a helmet that would look great on the early Billy Sims era unis. Shiny silver numbers trimmed in white would pop with a Honolulu Blue helmet.