The roster and coaching staff aren’t the only new things for the 2019 season. The Jets also unveiled their new jerseys and logos Thursday, which blend a bit of old Jets history with some new inspirations.
This is the first time the Jets have updated their jerseys and logos since 1998 when the team switched from kelly green and white to a darker green with white. Now, the team has adopted two new versions of green and white for the uniforms and added a third color as well. It was a five-year process, but Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson is excited for a new era.
“From the beginning, we wanted these new uniforms to have more of a New York grit to them,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’ll know that we’ve succeeded when I see a kid wearing one of our jerseys on the subway with his buddies or her buddies. That’s the New York grittiness that I love. It was that resiliency of New York, the toughness of New York that really inspired me. That’s what I’m hoping that we have in these new uniforms.”
With Johnson clearly happy, let’s take a close look at the Jets’ new duds.
Bold Colors
New York’s colors have incorporated variations of green and white since then-owner Sonny Werblin switched the colors from navy gold and named his team the Jets in 1963. After moving from kelly green to hunter green in 1998, the Jets introduced three new color schemes to their jerseys: Gotham Green, Spotlight White and Stealth Black.
According to the team’s website, “Gotham Green is a brighter, more modern green developed exclusively for the Jets,” while Spotlight White was also made just for Gang Green. The Jets also added a black alternate jersey, which they describe as a “statement color.” It’s the first time the Jets added a third jersey to their rotation that wasn’t a throwback uniform.
“New York” is Front and Center
For the first time in the team’s history, the Jets will have the words “New York” sown on the front of their jerseys. Team names aren’t uncommon on jerseys, but city names are. In previous iterations, the Jets only had their team logo on the front of the uniform, but have now adopted a similar look to the new Browns jerseys by adding the name of the city they play in.
The team’s website says “New York” is on the front of the jerseys “as a declarative representation of NYC.” The font will match the nameplates on the back of the jersey.
New Logo
The Jets’ logo didn’t get too much of a makeover except for the updated color and position of the assets. Unlike the old logo, “New York” will be included rather than “NY,” a football will be added and “Jets” will take on a more prominent role.
The shape of the logo is also updated with a sharper oval with the new Gotham Green color. The helmet logos, meanwhile, feature just the “Jets” with the football.
“Jet Edge”
A subtle yet striking addition to the uniform is a shoulder stripe that bleeds into the front of the jersey. This “Jet Edge” stripe, as the team calls it, represents “relentless speed and the Jets taking flight.” It will be featured on all three jerseys.
The stripe is striking only because the team’s previous uniforms featured a more vertical stripe on the shoulder pads, while the new ones extend horizontally across the chest in a more dynamic fashion.
