SACK TO THE FUTURE
Jets turn back to ’80s look in unveiling their new uniforms
The Jets read your emails and tweets, listened to your phone calls, overheard conversations happening in public places and realized that the only direction to go with their new primary uniforms was into the past.
The “Sack Exchange” era uniform and logo synonymous with some of the best players in franchise history, as well as with four playoff berths in a six-year span during the 1980s, are returning with a modernized twist in 2024, as unveiled in photos exclusively obtained by The Post.
After debuting the white-jersey, white-pants “Legacy Collection” combination as an alternate uniform in Week 1 last season, the Jets added corresponding designs in green and black to make the switch permanent under an overall rebranding announced Monday.
“We listen to our fans,” team president Hymie Elhai told The Post before the official announcement. “One of the things we talked about internally is that iconic teams have iconic uniforms, and that logo and that era connects with people’s Jets fandom. The Yankees don’t really change … same with the Rangers, same with the
Knicks. They all sort of resonate that way. That’s what people grow up following — making their connection to their team.”
The creation of new uniforms was announced minutes after Super Bowl LVIII ended in February, but plans have been in the works since 2021, Elhai said.
Because the Jets last changed primary uniforms in 2019 after 20 years of continuity, NFL rules prohibited further modifications until now.
The positive fan reaction to the white “Legacy” uniform that was fast-tracked as a test case last season reinforced the team’s behind-thescenes thinking. Players share in the excitement, which coincides with a playoffs-or-bust season after a series of win-now offseason moves.
“When you put on any uniform that somebody else wore in the past, first of all you are representing them and … what they worked for, bled for, made sacrifices for,” defensive captain C.J. Mosley told The Post. “When they see you playing their position, it’s like, ‘Wow, that reminds me of this great time.’ You go on the field to put on a show.
“That means a lot, but we have a chance to keep this new era going. Because if we stink it up, they might take the jersey away. I want to be known for the team that brought the old-school uniforms back but also started their own legacy.”
The new uniforms include double-striped sleeves and single-striped pants with nameplates, fonts and oversized numbers on the back and shoulder to be accurate to the 1978-89 time period that inspired the look. The contrasting colors around the neckline is a radical change from the 2019-23 jersey.
“These decisions are all made for, ‘What’s right for the organization and our brand?’ ” Jets vice president of fan commerce (and fan since 1974) Chris Pierce said. “They are not me saying, ‘Change this because we want to sell more product.’ If we get that identity right on the field and give the fans something they are excited about, the commerce implications follow. We were trying to achieve a historically accurate representation on a modern uniform that is a little sleeker.”
The updated throwback logo — last used regularly in 1997 — features a bolder jet shape and thicker jet tail added to each helmet. “Jets” is spelled out fuller across the helmet but remains a rare letters-based logo instead of borrowing something like the jumbo plane used in 1963.
“It didn’t exude the speed of modern-day football,” Elhai said. “When you look at this logo, it reinforces what a jet plane should feel and look like. The players get the history, they walk the hallways and see it, they feel the magnitude of this uniform. But it has a modernized look to it so it feels fresh and sharp at the same time.”
Not everything vintage is returning, however. The Jets are sticking with the colors introduced in 2019 instead of returning to the 1980s-style Kelly green, after determining it is a better fit with the metallic nature of the current helmet.
A new portfolio of secondary logos also was developed.
“Our new uniform pops because that green is kind of vibrant — not too bright, not too dark,” Mosley said. “It’s very bold when you look at the white lines and the numbers. Not too busy, very clean. Especially when I wore the green with the white helmet and white pants, it looks really good. I’m excited.”
The Jets will commit to wearing green more frequently at home in a return to their roots. Sales of the green jersey dipped behind the white in recent years, Pierce said, but the thought based on early feedback from NFL licensees is that it could become the most in-demand option again after the redesign.
The newer black alternative uniform popular among players and fans is getting a “Sack Exchange” makeover to be debuted this season.
Longtime Jets director of equipment Gus Granneman also provided a key voice in the rebrand. The uniforms feature the latest Nike performance technology.
“In 2019, our vision was very forward-thinking and there were some elements from that uniform that really resonated with the fans,” Pierce said. “When we started development on the ‘Legacy’ jersey for 2023, it was one of those light-bulb moments: This is who we are, this is who we should be.
“To our fans, there was such an emotional connection to uniforms and logos in our history that we strayed from. Suddenly, here was an opportunity to give it back to them. When we did, wow, did they embrace it.”