In the 2012 offseason, Nike kicked off its brand-new NFL partnership with one of the most explosive, out-of-the-box and creative NFL uniform redesigns of all-time.
While most teams saw a simple transition to Nike’s template after years in the Reebok mesh jerseys, the Seattle Seahawks unveiled an entirely new look with different patterns, colors and number fonts than they had worn in their past decades of existence. Rather than playing it safe with the previous dark blue/grayish color the team wore in Super Bowl XL or throwing it back to the royal blue and bright green from the franchise’s initial look, the Seahawks and Nike unveiled a navy and lime green fit that pushed boundaries and became an instant classic. The uniform, which the Seahawks still wear today, featured a navy blue base with a silver stripe, green shield and silver numbers with green outlines that looked futuristic and indicative of the creative flair Nike could bring to the partnership.
Of course, the success of the Seahawks in the ensuing seasons played a key role in entrenching the set as the go-to look for Seattle. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson upset veteran Matt Flynn for the starting role in the preseason and teamed up with the Legion of Boom defense to advance to the second round of the playoffs, then reached the Super Bowl in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. In Super Bowl XLVIII, the Seahawks handily defeated the Denver Broncos while wearing the white road iteration and navy blue pants. The title had to be considered a win for the Nike NFL deal too, with its first uniform redesign a smashing success.
Since then, Nike has churned out uniform redesigns, but the results have been mixed. NFL teams have unveiled a total of 25 redesigns since 2012, starting with the Seahawks’ much-needed update all the way to the four redesigns released in 2024.
What has changed? By and large, NFL uniforms are cleaner and have closer ties to their franchise’s history, but the Nike-NFL partnership still has progress to make for the product to be a definitive upgrade over the previous Reebok deal of the 2000s and league’s aesthetics in the 20th century.
The greatest feather in Nike’s cap since the apparel and footwear giant took over the NFL rights has been its shift away from over-the-top, convoluted jerseys to clean looks that feel true to their team’s history. This trend has been true for both the base uniform sets that teams typically wear and alternate throwback looks that are reserved for a couple games each season. The Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins traded in their eccentric 2000s uniforms for looks that drill down to the essence of their franchise’s brand, and the results have been positive (though it took some of these teams a couple redesigns to nail it):
Washington also deserves its own honorable mention, as Nike presided over its shift to the Washington Football Team and the Washington Commanders. The current set isn’t inspiring, but Washington has never looked as great as its NFC East rivals.
Slight tweaks have also led to upgrades of more modern looks. The Texans revealed just their second uniform set in franchise history and boldly leaned into the very traditional red, white and navy blue set with a bright red alternate and one that incorporates the baby blue of their Houston predecessors, the Houston Oilers. At the very least, the new set brings matching energy to the team’s young core, led by Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud.
Ironically, the uniform unveilings that have generated the most buzz and anticipation during the season in recent years have been the throwback alternate designs that teams have paired with unique graphics, vintage photography and terrific jerseys.
The Bears, Dolphins, Eagles, Cowboys, Vikings, Buccaneers, Falcons, Seahawks, Patriots, Titans and 49ers are among the teams that have incorporated previous looks into their current rotations, and the Broncos and Jaguars are set to join them with classic uniform sets for the 2024 season. The irony is that a lot of these classic looks are better than the team’s home and away looks — especially the Dolphins, Eagles, Buccaneers, Falcons, Patriots and 49ers — and we’ll see if the current enthusiasm for throwbacks translates into more of these sets turning into full-time options, as was the case with the Jets this offseason.
Lastly, the recent NFL policy change to allow alternate helmets has opened the doors to creative looks, and Nike has taken full advantage of the opportunity. Beyond generating merchandise sales for teams, the alternates have allowed teams to match shades with alternate or throwback jerseys, incorporate new patterns or test out new shell colors and directions, and the attempts so far have yielded encouraging results.
Nike’s attempts at uniform innovation have not been as successful or beloved. The brand has had some big swings and misses when it has tried to replicate the success of the Seahawks look, though the damage has usually been limited to a couple seasons and a sooner-than-expected redesign.
The Buccaneers’ alarm clock number font, the Browns’ bold drop-shadow look and the Jaguars’ black-and-gold helmet gradient missed the mark and had their elements scrapped for more down-to-earth designs just a couple seasons later. Some of the conservative approaches to redesigns have robbed teams of their individuality in service of a more traditional look, including Nike’s worst and least inspired uniform, the current Jaguars set, and the current Falcons and Vikings looks.
Nike’s Color Rush initiative has also fallen flat and been swept away, with only a few of the sets still in commission league wide. The bold move to introduce monochromatic uniforms — in many cases with garish alternate colors — resulted in several of the worst jerseys NFL teams have ever seen. Washington’s yellow alternates, the Jaguars’ gold set, the Dolphins’ orange and the Rams’ yellow set proved to be nearly unwatchable. On the flip side, the initiative led to winning looks in New Orleans, Dallas, Baltimore, Carolina and Cincinnati, and New England loved its alternate so much that it elevated the jersey to full-time status. But in terms of resonance, Color Rush has had less staying power than the City Connect and City Edition uniforms Nike has rolled out in the MLB and NBA, respectively.
I care a lot (maybe too much) about NFL uniforms — a couple of them helped me choose my favorite teams and the past decade has provided plenty for me to analyze and critique. While uniforms rarely determine wins and losses in the NFL, their contribution to the NFL’s product as an entertainment business is substantial and makes the quality of Nike’s work in updating the NFL’s look (or turning back the clock in some cases) important.
And overall, Nike’s takeover has been a positive development for the league. I have some qualms — retail options of replicas are pricey and lower quality, and the early signs of total innovation across the league implied by the Seahawks’ mind blowing makeover have not materialized in the seasons since — but aside from a few teams still toiling in uniform purgatory, Nike has stayed true to the brands and histories of NFL teams. At the same time, Nike has pushed boundaries in under-the-radar ways, from alternate helmets to the surviving Color Rush sets to nuanced storytelling and city-specific elements in recent uniform redesigns. Arguably as importantly, Nike has learned to keep their hands off the classics in the NFL’s historic cities like Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Indianapolis, Las Vegas (well, Oakland before, but Las Vegas now) and San Francisco. The sheer amount of uniform news has also picked up and bolstered the NFL’s offseason news cycle since the start of Nike’s deal, similar to the rise of NFL schedule release videos and churn of mock draft content.
Nike’s NFL partnership isn’t done yet, and after some exhilarating hits and baffling misses in its first years, the brand has moved professional football in more aesthetically pleasing, and certainly more interesting, directions.
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