The Detroit Lions could make a uniform change this year, but if a change is made it will wait until at least 2023.
Under NFL rules, teams can make a uniform change every five years. That means the Detroit Lions could do so this year, having last done so in 2017. It was among the subjects addressed by Lions team president Rod Wood at the league meetings Monday.
Via Kyle Meinke of MLive.
“Nothing (happening) for this year,” “We’re actually starting a process to look at a possible change for next year. It’s really like a year-plus lead time. So we just convened a committee. I know we get a lot of things tweeted at us and suggestions about what fans want, so we catalog all those and we’ll take them under advisement.”
Wood added that no decision has been made on the “WCF” patch, which has been on the Lions’ uniform sleeve honoring long-time owner William Clay Ford, who died in 2014. Some would say the patch has outlived its purpose.
Detroit Lions new uniforms set to have new helmet, keep current colors
Wood suggested a new helmet is in play with new Lions threads. Starting this year, teams can have a second, alternative helmet,
Taking a look at what the options are,” Wood said. “There’s the option of adding another helmet, as you probably know. We’re not doing that this year because our throwbacks really just take the current logo off, but other teams are adding it because they can go back to a throwback with a different helmet. We may look at a different helmet as part of this as well as the change to the uniforms, but just started the process. We haven’t really sat down with Nike yet and gone through a design.”
One idea that has surfaced is an homage to the franchise’s founding in 1930 as the Portsmouth Spartans. The Spartans had entirely different colors–purple, gold and black, before the team moved to Detroit and adopted the Lions nickname in 1934. Wood put the idea to bed.
“We don’t talk about it, so I think the answer is probably we’re focused on Detroit and the Detroit Lions and not the history of the Portsmouth Lions. I think I might get killed if we went back to different colors.”