The Detroit Lions officially unveiled their new uniform on Thursday evening. As seen when the new looks leaked online earlier today, the Lions didn’t make any drastic changes. The updated uniforms are more of a nod to the team’s past, especially the Barry Sanders era.
Among the alternate uniforms is a black jersey called “Motor City Muscle,” which resembles the jerseys the Lions wore from 2004-2007, when such looks were popular. But the uniform looks different, with the team’s signature Honolulu Blue in the jersey numbers and helmets.
Before the unveiling, Detroit fans on social media feared the return of the black jerseys. First, the dark crests muted the color that distinguished the team from other NFL clubs. More importantly, the Lions were not good during those four seasons, posting a 21-43 record during the terrible Matt Millen regime.
However, one key player who played for the Lions at the time loved those jerseys: Dan Campbell. The former tight end wanted the team to bring back the black tops shortly after he became head coach in 2021.
Lions team president Rod Wood revealed Thursday night during the uniform unveiling for season ticket holders at Ford Field that he has made a deal with Campbell: Win a division title and the black jerseys can return.
#Lions chairman Rod Wood says Dan Campbell – who wore the black substitutes as a player – asked him in ’21 “when we could bring back a certain jersey.”
“And I said, ‘If you win the division.'”
Calls the black jerseys ‘a reward’.
— Will Burchfield (@burchie_kid) April 18, 2024
Campbell and his team fulfilled their end of the bargain. The Lions won the NFC North with a 12-5 record, making the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Wood may have been joking when he said reviving the black jerseys was “a reward” for their success last season. The timeline for designing new uniforms and arranging them with the NFL was a two-year process. But the timing worked out well.
(The Lions president didn’t say that, but the black uniforms replacing the all-gray “Color Rush” look may also have been a reward for NFL fans no longer having to see them.)
