The year 2000 brought some major changes to the New England Patriots. Not only did the organization hire Bill Belichick as its new head coach and later draft quarterback Tom Brady in the sixth round, it also changed its light-blue uniforms of the late 90s to the navy-based outfits that the team has worn ever since. The Patriots won six Super Bowls wearing this ensemble, but change appears to be on the horizon — not just because of Brady’s offseason departure.
As first reported by Joe Reedy of the Associated Press, after all, the team is among seven that have petitioned the NFL to change their uniforms for the 2020 season:
- Uniform changes: New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns
- Uniform and logo changes: Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers
- Uniform and logo tweaks: Indianapolis Colts
How exactly those alterations will look like remains to be seen, but according to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss they will not be dramatic: the so-called “Flying Elvis” logo will remain in place, and the associated color scheme probably as well, with the uniforms themselves expected to only change subtly. The new look is expected to be announce by the Patriots via their social media channels next month, per the Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels.
The team, of course, has not introduced new jerseys since its color rush outfits back in 2016: New England used its blue-on-blue ensembles seven times since — including thrice during the 2019 regular season — while also going white-on-white for one game against the Buccaneers in 2017.