Over the weekend, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown’s CTESPN social media network leaked two additional jerseys to be worn in the 2024 season, including an alternate jersey for the Minnesota Vikings and a retro design for the New York Giants.
The white Minnesota jersey features purple numbers with a silver outline and icicles hanging off the numbers with no sails included, as well as silver and purple sleeve stripes to match the design of their purple and white road jerseys.
There is also a new „Vikings“ wordmark on the chest, which could be a hint at an upcoming change similar to the Philadelphia Eagles updating their wordmark in 2022 but having to wait two years before incorporating it into their jerseys.
The jerseys are likely to be worn during Minnesota’s annual „Winter Whiteout“ in December, and multiple sources have indicated they will be paired with a new white alternate helmet that has been in the works for two years.
The white helmet is considered a second helmet for the Vikings as they simply swap out the stickers and facemasks on their standard purple caps when wearing their retro „Purple People Eater“ uniforms.
This puts them in line with the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, and New Orleans Saints in having three different designs before each team in the league is allowed a third helmet color.
Meanwhile, the Giants‘ jersey is a clear nod to the 1933 team led by Hall of Fame coach Steve Owen, which participated in the very first NFL Championship game, losing to the Chicago Bears 23-21.
It features a red base and white numbers contained within a horizontal blue stripe that runs across the chest and around the back. Additionally, there is a blue collar and shoulder yoke that ends at the sleeves.
The jerseys were originally paired with a blue leather helmet with red stripes, as well as light brown pants and predominantly red socks with the same stripe pattern as the jerseys. It’s quite an intriguing look.
Currently, the Giants have two helmets available – their standard blue set and their navy blue retro helmets currently worn with their 1980-99 retro jerseys and the all-white Color Rush set.
They cannot introduce a third helmet color in 2024 as only teams undergoing a rebranding this offseason are allowed to do so before it becomes league-wide in 2025. Additionally, teams in the rotation can only wear four different jerseys.
This likely means the Giants will have to abandon their current retro jerseys to make room for the 1933 design. They would also have to forego the navy blue helmets for at least one season if they were to add a new helmet color this year.
The workaround would involve applying decals that mimic the leather design on the navy blue shells instead of introducing a painted design. This would also prevent the Color Rush uniforms from reverting to the standard blue helmets.
Multiple sources have indicated that the Giants, celebrating their 100th season this fall, and the Vikings are two of at least five teams this offseason that will not undergo a redesign but will introduce a new helmet color in the coming months.
The others are the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, and Jacksonville Jaguars, who will also unveil retro jerseys this season. According to our sources, the Ravens‘ helmet will be purple, while the Packers‘ and Jaguars‘ will be white.