The Detroit Lions announced last year that they would be taking part in the NFL’s new “Rivalries” initiative, consisting of a new alternate uniform inspired by the local communities.
While the Lions were not among the teams that debuted their new Rivalry uniforms in the recently completed season, they will be debuting them at some point in the upcoming 2026 NFL season.
And according to Lions team president Rod Wood, during a wide-ranging interview with the Detroit Free Press, Lions fans are going to like the new look.
“I know what it looks like and I think fans are going to like it,” Wood said to Free Press beat writer Dave Birkett. “It’s pretty cool. It connects to our uniform but it’s, like you saw some of the ones last year, it’ll add a little wrinkle to things.”
The Detroit Lions Are Waiting For The 2026 Schedule Release Before Announcing Dates For Their Rivalry Uniforms
However, the Lions will be awaiting the official release of the 2026 NFL schedule before deciding on what dates and against which opponents they’ll be wearing the new look.
“Let’s say they put Chicago in Munich. I don’t want to say that we’re wearing it against Chicago, and now we’re in Germany.
It has to be a home game, and it has to be a division rival, so that limits you to a maximum of three choices. But let’s say we’re playing Monday night against the Packers, that might be a cool time to wear it. Or Thursday after Thanksgiving. That might be cool. I’d like to see the schedule so I can then say that’s the time to kind of optimize the marketing benefit of it. But it’s pretty cool, and I think the fans are going to like it.”
Lions President Rod Wood Detailed The New Look
During a radio interview with 97.1 The Ticket last August, Wood explained they would be in the second wave of teams to release the new Rivalry uniform.
“The first eight teams are going to be rolled out next week, so you’ll get a look at what the league is thinking about,” Wood said in August. “And we have an idea of what ours is going to look like. We’ve seen a couple iterations of it and I would say that it’s consistent with us but a little bit of a modern twist to it. I think the fans will like it.”
Teams from the AFC East and NFC West were the first to debut the new looks.
“The unveiling of the first eight Rivalries club uniforms and fan gear marks a significant moment for the NFL, Nike and Fanatics, as creativity and innovation merge together to deliver a new take on what it means to be a rival,” Taryn Hutt, NFL vice president of club marketing, said as part of the initial news release.
“Nike has a rich history with football, and we’re excited to partner with the NFL on this new Rivalries program to help grow the sport and expand it for the next generation,” said Ryan Airhart, Director, NFL Apparel Product Design at Nike. “Each uniform was designed in collaboration with the club it represents to authentically reflect what makes their team, fans and communities wholly unique.”
Detroit Lions Make Exciting Announcement They Promise “Fans Are Going To Like”