The much anticipated Detroit Lions 2026 “Rivalries” certainly did not garner the reaction intended by the organization.
In fact, the majority of the Lions’ passionate fanbase was left scratching their head, wondering why the design team created a Carolina Panthers uniform for a team in Detroit.
According to ESPN, “Last season, teams from the AFC East and NFC West rang in the new initiative, which the league says is meant to celebrate rivalries in the NFL. Each design is created in collaboration with the team, Nike and the league. The uniforms will remain in each team’s rotation for three years alongside its existing alternate looks. The NFC East and AFC West squads will unveil theirs next season, and the NFC South and AFC North round out the first batch in 2028.”
Full disclose, this writer is never going to be confused with a uniform aficionado. I barely glance at them and get back to watching the action out on the field.
But if the intended goal was to generate a uniform fans would purchase in droves, this one may land far short of the sales quota.
When outgoing team president Rod Wood expressed earlier this year at the annual owners meeting that he believed fans would end up liking the new uniform, I immediately lowered my expectations.
“They’re very cool. Different but within kind of the realm of our current uniform pallet,” Wood said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I think the fans are going to like it and it’s different but kind of a cool factor.”
At first glance, it is just an okay uniform. Nothing special. Nothing this writer would have paid for or paid anyone to create either.
Lions fans took to social media and expressed being letdown by the uniform. It simply reminds too many people of the Carolina Panthers.
“Not bad if you are the Carolina Panthers. Terrible for the Lions,” one supporter shared on social media.
Another shared, “Given what they were going for, I think replacing the black with siler would have been more “Detroit” than off brand Carolina.”
Based on the look and design, Lions On SI graded the uniform a B-. Many felt this writer was being too generous in our assessment.
“B- is generous. I would buy pretty much anything Lions related, but I’m not buying these,” a Lions fan posted.
Here is a sample of the reaction online to the the Rivalries uniform that will be donned against the Minnesota Vikings.
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