Detroit Lions Could Have Uniform Overhaul in 2017

The Detroit Lions could be the next NFL team to have its Sunday best chopped and changed by Nike, according to team president Rod Wood.

During an interview with local radio last week, Wood disclosed there was a chance that the franchise – which has largely worn that distinctive shade of Honolulu Blue since the 1930s – could be set for an overhaul at the conclusion of next season.

Wood also mentioned that the team logo could be altered by 2017, but hinted that Detroit will likely be unveiling an alternate third kit for this upcoming season. “We probably will be announcing, along with the rest of the league…a uniform that will be used either in a Thursday night game or Thanksgiving. But it will not be a throwback uniform,” he said.

The third get-up is likely a part of the now league-wide Color Rush scheme, a series of bold and bright alternates that were met with mixed reaction last year. Wood did say that throwback uniforms, though, were also “under discussion” for 2017.

Detroit would be the fifth franchise to get a facelift since Nike replaced Reebok as the NFL’s uniform supplier in 2012. The athletic clothing giant brought the Seahawks into the twenty-first century with sharp new unis that have been associated with copious on-field success in recent seasons.

The Jaguars were fitted into intimidating new jerseys, though the jarring half-gold, half-black matte helmet somewhat ruins the new look. The Buccaneers suffered a massive downgrade from their mean scarlet-and-pewter ensemble to a colorless mish-mash that included awful alarm clock numbers and an oversized helmet logo.

While the jury is still out on the Browns’ modern look, the change certainly hasn’t translated into a stronger on-field product. Fellow lovable losers the Lions still boast among the crispest and most aesthetically pleasing looks in the league, so it will be interesting to see just how much creative control Nike takes over the revamp.