Nike NFL Uniforms Changes That Need to Happen

The day many have been anticipating for months is now just 24 hours away.

On Tuesday, the NFL and Nike will be unveiling their new jerseys and uniforms for the 2012 season at an event in New York City.

While wide-scale changes to uniform looks and logos aren't to be expected, there are still some upgrades we can and should look forward to tomorrow.

Here are some of the things you should expect to happen:  

Changes in Seattle

The Seahawks appear to be the one team that will be undergoing big changes for 2012.

A slightly different logo, with a border color change, has already been leaked, and it's now expected that Seattle will see a different look altogether next season. In fact, the Seahawks have been planning on a change for several months.

This from Seahawks president Peter McLoughlin, via Pro Football Talk:

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2011 is the final year for the Reebok deal with the NFL, and starting in 2012 we’re going to be going with a Nike jersey and a Nike design.  So we’ve actually met with Nike, and I think we were the first NFL team to meet with them, and we had a fascinating session with them.  Pete Carroll was in the room, John Schneider, all kinds of people, and we’re looking at all kinds of new designs, and new kinds of jerseys, and we’re talking about a throwback for sure.  So there’s a lot of creative stuff in the works right now.

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Given some of their latest uniform designs, a Nike touch-up should be welcomed.  

Alternate Changes

If a change is going to happen at the NFL level, I'd expect it to start in the form of several alternate jerseys. Nike isn't going to cram a bunch of new ideas down the NFL's throat, and in all reality, they can't.

All changes go through the league first and foremost. Given the conservative nature of the NFL and its owners, a bunch of completely different looking primary jerseys just isn't thinking realistically.

However, the league does allow one alternate jersey, and that's where we could see a change or two next season. Expect Nike to get clever with throwbacks and alternate looks.

Jersey Design

Here is where Nike is going to get to work. While maybe the colors, logos and format won't change on the majority of uniforms, the material and set up almost certainly will.

As we've seen in college football over the last several years, Nike jerseys are constructed differently. They allow for more breathability and maneuverability by using different fabric types in certain areas.

When Nike trots out its new digs on Tuesday, expect the vast majority of the changes to center around the functionality of the uniforms.

League spokesman Brian McCarthy told Pro Football Talk as much back in January.

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We anticipate new uniform technology (i.e., performance-driven, lighter materials).  That’s what Nike’s [Charlie] Denson was referring to in his interview in 2010 regarding changes.

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