The Minnesota Vikings will debut their new alternate uniform, nicknamed “Winter Warrior,” when they host the Chicago Bears tonight on Monday Night Football.
While the Vikings have played annual “winter whiteout” games previously, they wore their standard purple helmets and white uniforms with white socks. But now they’ve designed an entirely new uniform to be worn specifically for the Winter Whiteout game.
Let’s take a look at the new helmets first:
As you can see, the helmet is white, and features a white horn decal, thinly outlined in purple on the sides, and with a metallic gray facemask. A thin metallic gray stripe with what looks like a faint purple outline runs from front to back of the lid. The nose bumper reads “VIKINGS” in purple.
Here’s a closeup of the side and back, which shows more detail:
Rather than simply pair the new white shell with their regular white uniforms, the Vikings have created an entirely new uniform, which differs in several ways from their white outfit.
The jersey has purple numbers outlined in metallic gray. A small-ish “VIKINGS” wordmark sits atop the numbers and is also metallic gray. The team has created an entirely new font — ditching the ridiculous sail font in which the first digit of a two-digit number had an additional ‘tail’. This new font also has a slight gimmick: the numbers now appear to show a “dripping icicle” on the digits.
Vikings Art Manager Jackie Ramacher explains, “By eliminating the gold from the uniform, we have removed all warmth. Metallic gray has not only taken its place but has become the star of the show. It is a nod to ancient Vikings armor, as well as to ice. Further supporting the ice theme, the numbers feature ‘dripping icicle’ accents that are a unique twist on our existing SKOL font serifs. We took a similar curved shape from our original number set but rotated it downward to emulate the look of ice drips, supported by the metallic gray outline.”
The shoulder sleeve caps feature a metallic gray with a slight horn shape (which is the same shape as is on their current uniforms), bisected by a thin strip of purple.
The jersey back features purple NOB in a modified block font, while numbers are purple outlined in metallic gray.
The collar has a Nordic knot design embroidered on the back neckline, also in metallic gray.
The white pants have a metallic gray stripe running down the length of the leg, with a purple stripe which is not centered, but instead is towards the front of the gray stripe (which is a similar pattern to their regular pants).
To complete the “Winter Warrior” look, the Vikings will wear white socks — or leggings — and it’s expected players will also wear white shoes, although that remains to be seen.
As a uniform, I rather like this new look. I’m extremely pleased the team ditched their regular “SKOL” font, as the new numbers are much easier to read. I don’t necessarily like the “dripping icicle” motif, but the effect is so muted that it won’t affect their legibility, or even be noticeable up close.
As far as a Vikings alternate, it is what it is — obviously the new trend in football, both in college and now the pros. Let’s face it, these are sure to be popular with the players, as the trend to mono head-to-toe has taken over football. I usually don’t like all-anything, no matter the color, but if a team must wear a mono uniform, all-white is probably the best color to use.
With a white decal on a white helmet, they’ll probably appear as solid white from any kind of distance. The use of metallic gray in lieu of gold definitely sets this uniform apart from their other looks.
You can read more about the uniform and its development directly from the Vikings here. That also contains a fairly large photo gallery.
Readers? What say you?
I’m thinking a purple horn on the helmet would have improved the overall look.
I would like to see a yellow horn. But, because there are no yellow elements, it probably wouldn’t fit well.
Was thinking the same thing: a purple, or even silver horn with purple outlining (thinker though) would look better than what they came up with, particularly with the purple numbers.
I agree. A silver horn with purple outline would look a lot better
I suggest dropping the horns altogether and replacing them with a saltire cross of double-edged battles axes in purple, perhaps double bordered in silver and purple.
Or maybe use an image of a Viking warrior plundering a monastery.
And didn’t Vikings usually hunker down and take it easier in winter? Either in their homelands or the regions they had raided extensively, e.g., the Rhine River Valley?
“Metallic gray.” If only there were a single word for that color.
But what would that word be? Gretal? Meay? If only there was some kind of material that was that color, then we could just name it after that.
ALUMINUM ! ! !
Minne-lumium?
I like these. Purple and silver is a nice, fairly unique combination, and the numeral font is an improvement over the primaries. Gray socks would be better, but w/e.
These have grown on me since they were announced— hoping silver doesn’t get too swallowed up by the white on the broadcast.
If only the Vikings played outdoors! Then the “cold” theme would feel like more of a home field advantage, a la the broncos and elevation
The only uniform better in sports history is the texans Battle red. I wish it was more of a city connect and colorful maybe a new and different logo,
How shocking is this white uniform trend? Please go away! Instead of embracing the white out look, I would have guessed the future trend would be teams gradually eliminating white uniforms almost to extinction. Resulting in more color vs color games plus teams adding more desirable color options instead of white to market/sell merch.
I’m just hoping my Bears don’t do the mono-navy thing tonight…..
I do like purple and silver together, but the white is way too overpowering. Put some more purple on there!
I never noticed the Nordic design on the collar until reading this article. I wonder if it would look good larger, as a yoke on the shoulders.
A team that plays indoors calling their uniforms “Winter Warrior” is just embarrassing
Bwahahaha!
I just spit-taked my pop!
Yes, so true.
I think it was very kind of Superman to allow the Vikings to do their photo shoot in his Fortress of Solitude.
Would be a great uniform if Northwestern was the team wearing it.
Would it kill them to get the sticker STUCK in the promotional photo????? I’m going nuts over here seeing that horn flying away.
I was thinking the same thing LOL
Helmet stripe and stripes on jersey sleeves look like duct tape
The number font is an upgrade. The rest is a downgrade.
Other than the numbers you will not be able to see a single element on the field. I’m a little surprised they didn’t do white numbers outlined in purple.
It is not a bad uniform for a different team. It doesn’t feel like a Vikings uniform with the colour scheme change. It’s not their identity. Feels like what is going on in the NBA with City Connect. Too gimmicky for me for an NFL uniform.
Four teams that should NEVER have a center helmet stripe: Bengals, Chargers, Rams, and Vikings. Of those four, the Vikes is the least offensive, but still bad.
Most offensive? Probably the Bengals. Try imagining that helmet with a center stripe. Yikes!
It looks like they are leaving the endzones purple this year instead of white like the last couple of years. Will make the players show up better. However, it looks like they added the knot design like a braid in the endzone.
I wish they’d change the striping on all their pants so the two colors just meet like Virginia does. It looks odd with the stripe just right inside the other stripe. Like it’s a mistake of sloppy placement.
Just seems like Nike replaced the red with purple from the Cardinals uniforms. Pretty lazy
A new all-white NFL uni in 2024.
How novel…
These “Winter Warriors” would be more beliveable if they played outside.
Man, the Nikeification of the NFL is so sad. More XFL-level garbage. And please, can we bring back real sleeves and real striped socks???
I’m with other people, I’m not a fan of these gimmicky type uniforms. The NFL is pro based, so I expect that out of the uniforms too. This ain’t the NBA where I don’t mind the city uniforms as much, but in the NFL, let’s stick to the regular sets.
The only thing I’ll say is this at least the Vikings only wear this combo once a season and it’s cool how they get the fans to wear white tops in the audience, but it’s not something I want to see more than once a season.
I wish the white out stuff would get phased out, it ruined the Lions road uniforms for me.
No doubt. When they unveiled their new unis, I was thinking about how much better those gray/silver pants would look with both the blue and the white jerseys. But, the mono bug has bit them.
A grey drop shadow on the horn would be the only thing I’d change / add. These don’t look like The Vikings I know and love, but they’re an interesting alternative.
Well, having now seen them on the field, I didn’t hate them, but it really reminded me how much I long for a white Vikings jersey with some gold in it! Even their current aways have very little gold!
They needed to do SOMETHING with the helmet horn. Either a purple horn, or I think they could’ve gotten away with silver, judging by how surprisingly visible the silver helmet stripe was.
12-2 despite the NFL’s third-largest dead cap number & Sam F’n Darnold at QB?
Wear whatever you want, Minnesota. You’ve more than earned it.