2024 NFL uniforms: Commanders’ gold pants making a return

National Football League

Updated Jul. 9, 2024 7:51 p.m. ET

Washington Commanders

Gold pants are returning to the Washington Commanders’ uniform closet.

For the first time since 2018, Washington will don golden bottoms as part of its uniform rotation. The team made the announcement Tuesday on its 92nd anniversary.

The pants previously featured a stripe running down the side, but this version of the gold digs will not, as it doesn’t align with the current jersey. The squad wore gold pants regularly from 1937-1978 before saving them for special occasions following that season. It brought them back briefly in 2010, but retired them shortly thereafter.

“The decision was made after hearing from several fans who wanted to see the iconic look return to the team,” the team wrote on its website.

Former president Bruce Allen first announced the proposition years back, saying “in talking to the alumni … and to the fans, they wanted to see the gold pants.”

Fans and alumni will now get their wish.

Washington last wore the gold pants during at 24-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.

Baltimore Ravens

An all-purple look will be a part of the Baltimore Ravens’ uniform closet for the 2024 season.

The Ravens unveiled their alternate “Purple Rising” helmets on Tuesday. For the first time in team history, the Ravens will have a helmet with a purple base.

In addition to the purple base, the alternate helmet will have a different logo than the one on the Ravens’ primary helmets. Their secondary logo, a front-facing Raven, will be on the sides.

There’s also a hint of gold on Baltimore’s new alternate helmets. It has a pair of gold talon stripes going down the center of the helmet. The facemask is also gold, while the visor chip is purple.

The helmets will be paired with the Ravens’ color rush uniforms, which were unveiled in 2016. Those alternate jerseys have a purple base to go with the purple base coloring of the pants, matching the helmet. The numbers on those uniforms are gold as there’s also a gold stripe along the side of the pant leg. The nameplates of the uniforms are white.

The Ravens had worn their primary helmets in the past when they played in their color rush uniforms. The NFL allowed teams to only have one helmet design from 2013 until the start of the 2022 season. The league approved a rule that will allow teams to have a third helmet design earlier this offseason.

Ravens senior vice president of marketing Brad Downs said the team considered “at least 14 options of helmets” before picking the “Purple Rising” helmet design.

“We pay attention to all of that feedback from the fans, to really try to land on something they’re going to love,” Downs said on “The Lounge Podcast .” “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. We know our fans have clamored for it. They just like new stuff. But our uniforms have a nice traditional feel and we’ve had a lot success in them. We don’t want to be that team that changes all the time. We like the tradition that we’ve built.”

The Ravens will don the all-purple look once in the 2024 season. While Downs knows which game it’ll be, he didn’t share when Baltimore will go all-purple.

Minnesota Vikings

A winter white look is heading back to Minnesota for the 2024 NFL season.

The Vikings unveiled their “Winter Warrior” alternate uniforms on June 6, a tweaked version of the “Winter Whiteout” alternates the team wore in 2022.

The “Winter Warrior” uniforms resemble the “Winter Whiteout” jerseys. The jerseys and pants are white while the number and name platters are purple.

The big difference is the helmets. Unlike the “Winter Whiteout” look, the “Winter Warrior” set features white helmets with a metallic stripe across the middle and purple lining to outline the team logo. The facemasks are metallic gray. This marks the first time in franchise history that the team will wear white helmets.

When the Vikings debuted the “Winter Whiteout” in 2022, it served as a test run for the ultimate goal of one day having an all-white head-to-toe look, the team shared in a statement.

“We wanted to see, ‘Would people embrace wearing all white? How would it go?’ Our fans loved it, and that’s how we knew, ‘OK, we really want to embrace this and use this direction for our new alternate uniforms,'” Vikings creative director Alicia Dreyer said in a statement. “Some of the biggest feedback we got from fans with our ‘Winter Whiteout’ was wanting to see an all-white helmet, but it’s a two-year process to actually create the new uniforms and new helmets.”

Vikings fans embraced the “Winter Whiteout” look in 2022. When they wore the uniforms for their home game against the New York Giants on Christmas Eve, U.S. Bank Stadium was filled with Vikings fans wearing white, creating a whiteout in the stadium.

The “Winter Warrior” look is also meant to embrace Viking culture, using metallic gray to replace the gold coloring in the uniforms. Vikings art manager Jackie Ramacher explained that the gold represented warmth and the team wanted a different feel in the winter look.

“Metallic gray has not only taken its place but has become the star of the show,” Ramacher said in a statement. “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 metallic gray coloring is also used in the new version of the “VIKINGS” wordmark at the top of the chest, which is written in SKOL font. The Vikings’ theme song is titled “Skol, Vikings” and the team has been using the “Skol Chant” at home games since 2016.

There’s also a Nordic knot designed on the neckline, with shields that represent Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s mantra, “Our Way. Our Team. Our Process.”

The new uniforms are already popular with players and coaches.

“It’s fire,” star receiver Justin Jefferson told Vikings.com. “It’s beautiful. The gray, the purple, of course being all white, they’ve got that clean look.

“But you know, it’s a dirty game. So we’re definitely looking to get those jerseys a little dirty,” he laughed. “The matte white helmet with the gray strip, I mean, it’s beautiful. It’s fire.”

“Goodness gracious,” O’Connell added. “Our fans, they’ve gotta like these, right? These are sweet. I love the metallic. White helmets? I love it.

“Where’s mine? Where’s the coach’s head-to-toe white warmup jumpsuit?”

The Vikings will wear the uniforms for the first time in a “Monday Night Football” home game against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 16.

New York Giants

To help celebrate 100 years of football, the New York Giants will don an alternate look from the franchise’s early seasons.

The Giants unveiled their alternate uniforms for the 2024 season on Thursday, and they are meant to solely celebrate the 100 years of the franchise’s existence.

The team is calling its alternate uniform “Century Red,” using a modernized version of its 1933 jersey, 1925 pants and 1938 helmet. The base color of the jersey is red. However, the chest is blue. A pair of white stripes separate the blue chest and the outside red as the number and nameplates are also white. There’s also a pair of wider blue stripes on the shoulder tops of the jerseys.

The helmet is a mixture of red and blue, with red stripes along it that look similar to the Michigan Wolverines‘ helmets. The pants are tan while the socks mirror the jerseys.

Each detail of the uniform celebrates milestones from the franchise’s early history. The Giants were founded in 1925. They made their first NFL Championship Game appearance in 1933. They won their third NFL Championship in 1938.

In addition, each uniform the Giants wear in 2024 will include a commemorative patch celebrating the franchise’s 100th season. The patch is shaped like the Polo Grounds, which was the Giants’ first home stadium, while the zeros in “100” are shaped similarly to Giants Stadium. It also has eight laces to celebrate the franchise’s eight titles.

The Giants will wear the “Century Red” uniforms for no more than two games in the 2024 season.

Houston Texans

The Texans became the fifth team this offseason to introduce a uniform change on Tuesday, April 23, unveiling a complete redesign of all four of their uniforms (home, away, alternate, color rush) for the first time since the franchise’s inception in 2000. The look also includes a pair of new helmets.

The Texans’ new home uniforms carry a similar resemblance to the ones they wore for the previous 22 seasons, making some tweaks to the Deep Steel Blue jerseys. The nameplates will have red coloring instead of white, a rarity for a home team’s jersey. They also got rid of the red stripes on the side of the shoulders, replacing it with the team’s bull logo. To add to the “Texas-inspired” look, the home uniforms include the Texans’ new secondary “H” logo.

The away uniforms are Liberty White, also containing a similar look to the Texans’ previous road jerseys. They have the traditional sleeve stripe on the back and sides of the jersey’s shoulder pads that turn into a “a bullhorn-inspired design” on the front. Just like with the home uniforms, the away uniforms will be paired with their traditional bull logo and Deep Steel Blue helmet.

Houston transformed its alternate and color rush looks. The Texans described their new alternate uniforms as a “bold Battle Red version of the away jersey,” having the same bullhorn mark along the shoulders. The nameplates and numbers are also Deep Steel Blue with Liberty White trims. The helmet is Battle Red with “candy paint red flakes and a red metallic chrome facemask” while there’s a new bullhorn look on the helmet with blue outlining.

Finally, the color rush uniforms are Deep Steel Blue but also introduce H-Town Blue, the first new color the team has introduced since its inception. The uniforms are paired with helmets that have the team’s new secondary logo, an “H” with the H-Town Blue coloring and a lone star right next to it that’s Battle Red. The H-Town Blue logo is a similar color to the blue that was seen on the Houston Oilers’ uniforms before the franchise moved to Tennessee.

The change to the uniforms comes after the team conducted 10,000 surveys and 30 focus groups to ensure they’re “H-Town made.”

“Today, for the first time since 2000, we are so proud to reveal our new uniforms. They are even more special because they are inspired by and for our fans,” Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. “Our fans asked us to be more H-Town and we delivered. They were with us every step of the way and there’s truly something for everyone over the four uniforms.”

To promote the uniform redesigns, the Texans are holding numerous events in the Houston area and have agreements with establishments within the city to showcase the new looks.

The Texans’ decision to revamp their look came after one of their best seasons in franchise history. First-year coach DeMeco Ryans led the team to a 10-7 record as C.J. Stroud had one of the best rookie seasons ever for a quarterback, winning the AFC South. They also made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Now, entering Year 2 of the partnership, the duo has a new look.

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are honoring local culture and their franchise’s past as part of their new uniform designs.

Denver unveiled its “Mile High Collection” of new uniforms on Monday, with the jerseys inspired by the Rocky Mountains and the franchise’s history. The Sunset Orange jerseys will serve as the Broncos’ home uniforms, while the Summit White jerseys will be their away uniforms. The Midnight Navy jerseys will be a part of their alternate uniforms.

In addition to unveiling the “Mile High Collection,” the Broncos also released their throwback uniforms, honoring the Orange Crush era from 1977. Just like its uniforms in 1977, Denver’s throwback uniforms are orange with oversized white numbers and a Legacy Blue trim. The pants have an orange and Legacy Blue stripe running down the legs.

The Broncos are also bringing back the Legacy Blue “D” helmets with the Bronco mascot in the middle as part of the alternate look. The helmet was viewed as a fan favorite, wearing them for the majority of John Elway’s time as their quarterback. They retired the helmets after the 1996 season, only wearing them for a special occasion once since then.

The “Mile High Collection” is the sixth primary uniform in the team’s history, but their first since 1997.

“This has been a thoughtful, collaborative journey that’s involved us listening to voices throughout all of Broncos Country to design the ‘Mile High Collection,’ our modern and inspirational new uniforms for the Denver Broncos,” Broncos president Damani Leech said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the engagement and creativity of ownership, the players, our business and football leadership, Nike and especially the best fans in the NFL during this process.

“As we honor the championship tradition of the Broncos, we’re also committed to innovation and growth during such a transformative time in franchise history. Our new uniforms — the ‘Mile High Collection’ — boldly integrate elements of our past, present and future while paying tribute to Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region we proudly call home.”

In the “Mile High Collection” uniforms, the jerseys have multiple odes to Colorado. The block-style numbering and the nameplate’s font are similar to Colorado’s national parks signage. A triangle label that reflects a summit marker is included on the outer neck tag and jersey numbers while the inner neck tag has “Broncos Country” and “5280” (the number of feet Denver is above sea level) written on it.

More than 10,000 fans were surveyed about the “Mile High Collection” uniforms as part of the two-year-long process. Broncos players and team personnel also gave input on the changes.

Detroit Lions

Following their best season in three decades, the Detroit Lions unveiled new uniforms that combined their past with a modern touch on Thursday.

The team reworked their Honolulu Blue home uniforms and their away white uniforms while bringing back their black alternate uniforms. The Ford Bronco actually served as an inspiration for the Lions’ redesign, looking to bring a “fresh look” to the uniforms they wore in the early 1990s. The striping along the uniforms was also inspired by the Ford Mustang, having a similar sleek design.

In addition to the Ford inspiration, the other changes to the home and away uniforms include a “cowcatcher-shaped mesh collar design and a horizontal seam in the shape of a “V.'” The collar design pushes the font further down the chest. They also include a patch under the inside back collar that honors longtime Lions owner William Clay Ford. The inside collar of the home jerseys has “ONE PRIDE” inscribed on it while the away jerseys have “DETROIT” inscribed across the chest for the first time in team history.

“We are excited to launch a new era of Lions football,” Lions team president Rod Wood said in a statement. “Honolulu Blue and Silver has defined the Detroit Lions for generations and I am proud that we found a way to continue to evolve the look with a nod to the past and a focus on the future. The traditional look of our primary jerseys combined with the bold attitude of our alternate jerseys capture the essence of Detroit and the multi-generational fans base that supports us.”

The black alternate uniforms, which were introduced in 2003, are being brought back for the time since 2016, in part, because of Dan Campbell.

“We’re in the draft room literally months into his tenure, and he wore the black when he was here,” Wood told reporters Thursday. “He said, ‘Rod, when can we get the black jerseys back?’

“I said, ‘I’ll make a deal, when you win the division I’ll bring the black jerseys back.’ So I went out on a limb. Thankfully, he delivered. That’s a true story.”

The black jerseys have blue numbers with silver outlining as the “LIONS” wordmark is placed along the chest. “MOTOR CITY” is inscribed in the back color. The jerseys can be paired with the team’s all-black pants or blue pants while they wore blue helmets with uniforms at the unveiling ceremony.

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are going back in time to make a tweak to their look for the 2024 NFL season.

White facemasks are returning to the Browns’ helmets, the team shared Wednesday. The team had brown facemasks on their helmet since 2015, rocking the look with the orange helmet.

But prior to 2006, the Browns wore white facemasks with orange helmets for decades. They had the white facemasks from 1975-95 before the team moved to Baltimore. When the Browns returned as an expansion franchise in 1999, the team brought back the orange helmet, white facemask look, keeping it through the end of the 2005 season.

The look is commonly associated with the Browns’ best years in the modern era. They wore white facemasks with orange helmets in the 1980 “Kardiac Kids” season and in the three seasons that Bernie Kosar quarterbacked the team to the AFC Championship Game in the late 1980s. Those remain the only three AFC Championship Game appearances in the franchise’s history.

“We are excited to honor our storied history through the return of the white facemask,” Cleveland Browns Partner JW Johnson said in a statement. “As we continue to write the next chapter of Browns’ history, we reflect on different eras, such as the Kardiac Kids and the return of the franchise, that led us to this place in time.”

The team has brought back the white facemask look on a pair of occasions in recent years, wearing it once in each of the last two seasons. The Browns won both games.

With the facemask change, the Browns will also alter their logo. Their logo previously had a brown facemask with the helmet, but they’ll also feature a white facemask now instead.

“We heard our loyal fans and are thrilled to see the white facemask featured on the Browns’ helmets beginning with the 2024 season and beyond as we continue to write the history of our franchise,” Johnson said.

The Browns have tinkered with their look on a handful of occasions in recent years. They had a major redesign in 2015 with the uniforms before moving back to their more traditional look in 2020. The biggest change they’ve made since 2020 was the addition of their all-white alternate uniforms, which include a mostly white helmet with white pants and jerseys.

The Browns are just one of a handful of teams who are redesigning their uniforms this offseason. Let’s take a look at what other uniform redesigns are coming around the league.

New York Jets

The Jets were the first team to introduce new redesigned uniforms for the 2024 season, unveiling their “legacy collection” jerseys that pay homage to the team’s Sack Exchange era. You can read more about the Jets’ redesign here.