Can we trust Nike with the Rivalries uniforms?

In 2012, Nike became the NFL’s official uniform provider, replacing Reebok. Some feared Nike would alter some of the more classic uniforms, like those of the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers, and replace them with new-age designs, with some bad Photoshop jobs adding fuel to those rumors.

However, the changes were minimal once Nike took over, except for the Seahawks, who had transformed from their Matt Hasselbeck-era look to their current uniforms. Since then, we have been introduced to Thursday night Color Rush uniforms, which lasted several years at the end of the last decade. Outside that set, Nike hasn’t introduced much variance to the NFL as it has with the NBA or MLB.

That is, until the NFL and Nike announced the “Rivalries” program in April. The tandem announced the uniforms will “harness the power of rivalry matchups” and that “through specially designed player uniforms and limited-edition fan gear, we will embark on a journey that inspires competitive spirit and reveals the winner in all of us.”

The 49ers were among the eight fortunate teams selected for the inaugural season of this program, along with their NFC West rivals and the four teams in the AFC East. It hasn’t been revealed who the 49ers are wearing their “Rivalries” uniform against, but the team has teased through social media posts that the color gold will be heavily featured.

The NBA and Major League Baseball gave Nike the full reins to uniform design much quicker. The NBA was the first to introduce the City edition uniforms in 2017, an alternate uniform that Nike was allowed to design for all 30 teams. While those uniforms initially served as a way for teams to introduce a refreshed throwback, such as the Warriors, or a new look, like the Miami Heat's Miami Vice uniforms, the changes weren’t too far removed from each team’s base uniforms.

Over time, the City edition uniforms have almost become a caricature of what they once were, with slogans replacing team names on the front and team colorways merely serving as a suggestion. Just last month, the Houston Rockets donned “clutch city” across their chest in a Game 7 loss to the Warriors, and the Nuggets had “5820” on theirs in their loss to the Thunder.

While Nike ran wild in the NBA, MLB gave them creative control with the introduction of the “City Connect” uniforms in 2021. Nike started with a head-turner, and the first uniform set revealed was a UCLA-colored Red Sox uniform to celebrate the Boston Marathon. Like the city edition uniforms in the NBA, the City Connects were met with mixed reviews, with misses with the Chicago Cubs but hits with the White Sox and Marlins.

After seeing the varying results in the other leagues, the NFL has given Nike some leeway in designing the uniforms. The 49ers will be among the first set for the experience, and their uniforms carry some hefty historical significance. So will Nike lean into that history with their first genuine attempt at a remix, or will it be a miss like San Francisco’s alternate black uniforms of 2015?