The uniform watch is on.
Ravens president Sashi Brown spoke to reporters at the NFL’s owners’ meeting in Orlando, Florida, this week and hinted something exciting is on the horizon for the team’s jerseys.
With the exception of color combinations, the Ravens’ uniform design has not changed since 2000, when they removed the “raven in flight” logo on the sleeves and replaced it with the shield that was on the pants, according to a timeline on the Ravens’ website. That shield on the pants was replaced with an italicized gold B.
After that, they added a black alternate uniform, white cleats and commemorative patches, and they made tweaks to the collar when Nike took over as the manufacturer. The only major change prior to that came in 1999, when the Ravens replaced the team’s original helmet logo — a crest in the team’s colors with wings, a B in the center and Ravens over top — with the purple bird-head logo still in use today.
The essence of the jerseys has stayed the same for decades, and Brown said that isn’t going to change.
“We feel like we have really classic jerseys, and I think the team did a great job when we’ve had some minor modifications,” he said. “So we’re really cautious about making changes, something that we think really works well.”
Brown also pointed out that the NFL sets the parameters for the uniforms. For example, it has rules about logo placement, the size of the numbers and when you can wear different helmets. It is strict about cleats, as well. Unless it’s the My Cause My Cleats game, players must wear shoes that completely match team colors (they can be different brands, though).
But the NFL does allow for classic, alternate or color rush uniforms, and that’s where the Ravens are exploring new ideas.
“The optionality that you see, particularly in other leagues, with different types of jerseys, color rushes, being tried — we’re exploring some things with some of the alternative jerseys,” Brown said.
Other leagues have different jerseys to align with different initiatives and marketing opportunities. For example, the Orioles debuted their City Connect jerseys last year after MLB introduced them in 2021, in partnership with Nike, as an attempt to allow teams to create jerseys that honor their communities. The Washington Capitals had a Reverse Retro jersey in 2021 after the NHL started working with Adidas to create jerseys that nod to teams’ history while creating a fresh look. However, those leagues have many more games — and many more opportunities to wear different uniforms.
Within the NFL, teams have gotten creative. The Philadelphia Eagles brought back their Kelly green throwback jerseys this year. The Seahawks wore action green jerseys, and the Detroit Lions sported their Honolulu blue alternate helmets with all-gray uniforms.
Brown dropped that something might be on the horizon for Ravens fans, but he refused to go into detail.
“We have some stuff that’s coming, but if I said too much, my team would shoot me before I got back to the building,” Brown joked.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.