After nearly two years of speculation, the Denver Broncos officially announced on Monday that new uniforms are “coming soon,” presumably before the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, which takes place from April 25-27.
“Same colors and same logo, but a full redesign,” team president Damani Leech told reporters gathered in Orlando for the NFL’s annual spring meetings. “Part of the process was talking about what’s important for the Broncos, what’s important for Broncos’ fans.
“(It’s about) wanting to evolve and be new and different but also be respectful of our history and our traditions. Understanding our surroundings from a geographic standpoint, there will be nods to that, and I think people will be really excited about it.”
This marks the first significant overhaul of the Broncos’ look since the 1997 season, when they worked with Nike to create a new logo and modernized uniform design and then subsequently captured the first of two straight Super Bowl titles.
Denver has since added an orange alternate jersey (which was promoted to primary status in 2012), blue alternate pants, an all-orange Color Rush set and “Snowcapped” white alternate helmets, but its overall appearance has remained intact for nearly 30 years.
The current redesign process, meanwhile, began in January 2023, shortly after the franchise was sold to Walmart heir Rob Walton, his daughter and son-in-law for $4.5 billion, a record for the most expensive sale in North American sports history.
That was also only a few months after the Broncos wore blue pants with their white jerseys for the first time in franchise history, as Leech met with team captains prior to their 21-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Oct. 30, 2022, to discuss potential changes to their uniforms.
“One of the first things that fans really just started tweeted me about was the uniforms, so I knew there was a lot passion, a lot of creativity,” Leech said. “I think that’s just a testament to our fanbase and how engaged they are and how much they want to see new uniforms.”
“It’s been a great process across the organization between staff and ownership – particularly Carrie (Walton-Penner), who has really driven this process. (There has been) player involvement and fan involvement. We’re really excited to finally move in this direction.”
Broncos co-owner and CEO Greg Penner seemingly confirmed rumors that the new uniforms will include some kind of reference to the Rocky Mountains and “5,280,” the number of feet in a mile and a nod to the city’s status as the “Mile High City,” a la the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.
“(I’m) really excited,” Penner said. “It’s time for a change, and we think we’ll have something that honors Broncos Country and our fans will be pleased with elements of Colorado. It was an interesting process … I think we have something they’ll be excited about.”