As we all know (or should know), the Denver Broncos will be getting new uniforms for the 2024 season, their first major redesign in decades. If you missed it, Paul covered it all here, earlier this year.
Among the highlights of the unveiling was the news that the team would be adding a throwback uniform for their “Orange Crush” years, when they sported a gorgeous royal and orange color scheme.
Here are a couple more looks at that:
Glorious!
What we didn’t know at the unveiling was when the team would bust out these beauties. Now we do.
According to this article, “The Broncos will first wear the jerseys in game action in Week 5 against the Raiders, as Denver will welcome back members of the 1977 Super Bowl team.”
The article does not mention if the team will wear the throwbacks a second time, although it sounds like this will be a one-and-done, at least for the 2024 season. If that’s the case, that’s a shame.
That Week 5 game is Sunday, October 6th, and the game will start at 4:05 ET (2:05 Denver time), and will be shown on Fox.
With the matchup being against the tradition-bound Raiders, it should easily be the best looking game of the week!
What say you, readers? And yes, it’s OK if you comment, “MAKE THESE PERMANENT.”
Make these permanent-along with the 1978-79 road uniform with orange pants.
Agreed! The orange pants elevate the road uniform by an order of magnitude.
I’m definitely in the minority on this site when I say don’t make these permanent. I much prefer the new mountain sleeved jerseys over this color swapped Packers look. But I guess keep them as a throwback alternate since the colors are cool
If they all wear these socks….yeah permanent!
They’re probably just going to wear them once this year so the fans can get used to the new look. In future seasons they’ll probably wear them multiple times a season. And they do need to be their regular unis.
As a lifelong Broncos fan, i am glad these are in the past. I liked the version with the new colors though.
The “make them permanent” for uniforms like these, or the Dolphins, Falcons, Oilers, throwbacks really comes down to something simple. These uniforms all follow traditional football uniform design. They aren’t mono (aside from some mono white, but broken up with color socks), they feature sleeve stripes. The numbers aren’t excessively custom, and likely standard block, they have tv numbers, there is no giant wordmark on the chest or other superfluous design elements on the chest / shoulders / panels. This is just how uniforms are supposed to look for so many of us.
Sure you can play around with the stripe design and other minor features, but in general. this is what a football uniform looks like. I don’t think there is anything great about this Broncos uniform, but it uses basic design features, nothing is there just to be different, and it has a good color pallet. That is really all you need. A uniform doesn’t have to be innovative, it doesn’t even have to be a great uniform to become iconic, it just needs to be simple and well designed, that will give it staying power, and then over time it will become iconic.
I think most of these throwbacks work full time going forward, if anything the logos just need slight modernizations (think Dolphins original logo to the 90s version) rather than full logo overhauls.
I think there’s a fracture between people who want to wear team jerseys vs people who want their team to look good on the field. Bold colors, thick stripes, simple designs etc continue to look great up close and most specifically from a distance. Mountains, barbs, gradients, textures, inscriptions inside the collar etc.? That stuff is more often impossible to see unless you’re looking up close. I don’t wear sports jerseys so my preference inevitably will always be the simplified older style..
Broncos beat the Raiders in the 1977 AFC title game to reach the Super Bowl. Seems appropriate to wear them against the Raiders.
I noticed in Jimmer’s article yesterday that all the players (for every team) who wear the new Riddell Axiom helmet don’t have Guardian Caps. And it’s not just one or two. I’ve looked up pictures from multiple training camps and have not found a single “Axiom Player” with a Guardian Cap.
Does anyone have any insight into whether they don’t have GC’s that fit that style of helmet? Is there a an exemption for the RA helmet?
I know someone out there will be able to Sleuth an answer for us!
It’s a nice looking helmet, but… once players start putting those new seat covers over them, not so much.
What am I missing? They already have a navy helmet and a white helmet. Since when can they have 3 helmets?
Teams who did a re-brand this offseason were allowed to add a 3rd. All other teams will have the option to add a 3rd helmet next season.
That still feels backwards. Teams with an overhaul should focus on that and be limited to 2 helmets as they settle into their new look, while teams with no changes should be allowed to work in a new 3rd lid.
Love the Bronco unis. All teams should go back to the striped socks.
All teams? No, I can’t say I agree with this (Raiders, for example). The vast majority of teams? Yes, definitely.
It’s funny, as much as I love striped socks, I don’t love them as much in football. These Bronco (Bearsish) socks are too much for me with this uni. If anything, socks that mimicked the helmet would be ideal.
Hot damn! That is one beautiful uniform!
I just wish they’d gotten the colors right. Neither the orange nor the blue match the 70s colors. In fact, I’ve had that issue ever since they went back to orange primaries a few years ago. The current orange is more of a yellow-orange, while the earlier ones were red-orange. link
Sigh…Cue everyone in unison: “WhY cAn’T tHeSe Be ThEiR pErMaNeNt UnIfOrMs?!?!?!”
As a lifelong Broncos fan, I DO like these uniforms better than their current primary uniforms or anything they’ve worn in the bast 27 years. (I will, admit, however, that I developed a soft spot for the uniform set they just retired after seeing the team win three Super Bowls in them.)
With all that said, I consider these more fauxbacks than throwbacks because the shade of orange used on the jerseys is much lighter and brighter than the darker and slightly more reddish orange worn during most of the heyday of the Orange Crush uniforms. To wit – new version: (link) vs. 1977 version (link). I would like these current alternates better if they matched the orange a little better.
The team doesn’t need to go back to these permanently. They need to put these colors on the current uniform. ( and remove the triangles as well as going back to the old helmet stripe) The old logo is somewhat overrated. It’s a good logo but the modern horse logo is much cooler. It makes a better secondary logo. Also, most old uniforms have a similar cookie cutter design. The current stripes and number font make the uniform unique.
What throwbacks have ever been made permanent?
Just trying to understand the cliche comment…
If you don’t count the helmet logo, the 49ers?
Browns? Giants? Jets? Buccaneers?
Do these work? I’m not sure of your criteria.
I am super excited for your answer.
None are throwbacks. Inspired by perhaps, but are different enough to not be the throwback
The question was rhetorical. It never happens. Elements return, sure. But a throwback being made permanent? Counterintuitive
Not sure why “i like the throwbacks” isnt enough. Why does the canned “make these permanent” comment get trotted out. Every. Single. Time?
I’m guessing that it’s wishful thinking. Hope springs eternal, maybe?
And “permanent” may be too absolute. I’m pretty sure people are just saying that they’d like the throwback to be their main digs. Like, for a long time.
I don’t know, man… those Jets home and away uni’s go a lot deeper than “inspired by”.
The Bucs are essentially throwbacks, minus the updated logo. Jets and Browns are definitely throwbacks. But I suppose in the Browns and Bucs case, they went crazy for 5 years and then reverted.
I think it is “make these permanent” instead of “I like these” because in general many of the newer designed uniforms are more trendy than long term designs. So the fact that you can bring these back, and people like them, would indicate they are suited to be full time, long term uniforms.
But I also think when people want the throwbacks as full time, it doesn’t necessarily need to be an exact replication. The Chargers and Bengals for instance, reverted to something very similar to past uniforms (minus TV numbers) and those were met mostly positive responses. I think if the Broncos had this design but with the current logo on the helmet (and maybe slightly modified stripes) people would be happy with that. Not a full throwback, but obviously inspired by their classic look. Same could probably be said if the Eagles went with a kelly green and silver uniform full time, but with their modern logos, or Falcons with the red helmet and black jersey full time with the modern logo. What “make it permanent” typically ends up meaning is original color schemes and classic design styles, but would work with modern logos from their identity.
The Jets green is different in new unis.
Bucs dont wear orange/red with Bucco Bruce
Browns didnt change enough for long enough for theirs to be “throwback”
World is such now that majority of teams will probably change uniforms at least once every 10-15 years, to say nothing of alternates being introduced at a fever pitch
Permanent uniforms are not a feasible idea, be them throwbacks one likes or not.
I would not prefer these as permanent uniforms for the Broncos. They are a great looking uniform and love the helmet (!), but the rest of it looks a bit college like.
When I watched the Broncos win their first Super Bowl with John Elway, those are the uniforms I prefer. They did not age well with all the pointy decorations and their round numbers annoyed me.
I would agree with Stan that they don’t need to make these permanent. The modern horse logo looks better and why not put the modern logo on an orange helmet and get rid of the matt look and go the the gloss helmet.
These are so nice it just kind of bums me out – if they had won those first two Super Bowls wearing this, it would probably still be their classic look. They’d be in the same conversation as the Bears, Packers, Raiders, Chiefs and Niners.
“Make These Permanent” might just be the most overused phrase in the entire uni-verse…
And the same people who say that, lament the disappearance of the uniforms replaced by throwbacks shortly thereafter.
Its all very paint by numbers.