When Damani Leech took over as the Broncos team president in the early fall of 2022, it didn’t take him long to understand what fans wanted most from his role.
Whether it was on social media or during trips to the grocery store, Leech quickly learned the team’s supporters were ready to see a fresh uniform update after more than a quarter century of watching the team play in the same threads.
“That was one of the first things that fans really started tweeting me about,” Leech said last month. “I knew there was a lot of passion.”
In the nearly two years since, Leech and the Broncos’ ownership group, which officially bought the team in August of 2022, has been working toward Monday’s unveiling of “The Mile High Collection,” a fresh uniform update for the first time since 1997.
Sunset Orange.
Summit White.
Midnight Navy. pic.twitter.com/HEduFPC6Pe— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) April 22, 2024
“As we honor the championship tradition of the Broncos, we’re also committed to innovation and growth during such a transformative time in franchise history,” Leech said in a statement Monday. “Our new uniforms — the Mile High Collection — boldly integrate elements of our past, present and future while paying tribute to Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region we proudly call home.”
The Broncos on Monday shared three new jerseys that contain nods to the Rocky Mountain region’s geography and the franchise’s history, described by the team as “Sunset Orange, Summit White and Midnight Navy.” Then, 30 minutes after the new uniforms were revealed, the Broncos dropped a video sharing one more addition to the collection: A retro uniform harkening back to the Orange Crush days of 1977, complete with a blue helmet adorned with the iconic “D” logo.
Blast from the past. pic.twitter.com/wT6eip4PRC
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) April 22, 2024
The orange jerseys will serve as the team’s home uniform and white will be the primary away look. The navy jerseys are the team’s alternate threads. Those and the throwback uniform can be worn a combined three times during the season. The new uniforms can be matched with any of the three pants colors, creating several game-day combinations.
“The jerseys are developed on Nike’s Vapor F.U.S.E. Chassis, an innovative and sustainable performance fabric,” the team said.
Let’s dig more into the collection, with descriptions from the team’s release about the uniforms.
Triangles, triangles, everywhere
When the Broncos announced a uniform launch last month, both Leech and owner Greg Penner promised nods to Colorado’s unique geography. One prevalent such recognition is the triangles that appear on all aspects of the jerseys.
They are most present on the numbers on the jerseys, built-in vertical rows. The explanation: “Dissipating triangle perforation in front and back numbers nods to thinning air at higher elevations.”
The city’s elevation has been a consistent theme for other Denver franchises. The defending NBA champion Nuggets, for example, have jerseys that sport “Mile High City” and “5280” wording on the front. But the triangles as a representation of the thin air is a new twist.
Other Colorado nods
The Broncos also incorporated the city’s elevation more overtly by placing “5280” numbering at the front of the new helmets (more on that aspect of the uniforms in a minute) as a nod to “Denver’s mile-high elevation and altitude advantage.”
The “5280” marker is also found on the jerseys’ neck tag — where it splits the words “Broncos Country” — and down the jagged stripe found on the leg of the pants. The configuration of those stripes on the pants is also a nod to Colorado’s mountainous topography: “The contrasting stripes merge a jagged mountain incline with a standard pant stripe visual, representing a mountain peak.” The Broncos pulled off a similar effect with the sleeve caps on the jerseys.
A more subtle nod to the state came with an altered font on players’ nameplates on the back of the jerseys. The rounded type, the team said, “is a nod to national parks signage located around Colorado. The rounded interior corners are a simplified look from the previous font.”
Big change in the helmets
One of the first things that stood out when the collection was unveiled was the absence of a stripe in the front of the helmet. There are still stripes — smaller than the previous iteration — but they run from the middle of the crown to the back.
The collection features three new helmets, including the throwback model. From the team’s release: “The primary closet features two new helmets: a navy metallic satin finish (navy facemask) that pairs with both home and away jerseys and a white metallic satin finish (white facemask) to pair with the alternate jersey. An orange stripe of triangle clusters symbolizing Denver’s peak in elevation is featured from the base of the helmets to the middle of the crown.”
The Broncos have introduced four new helmets over the last two seasons, including the white “Snowcapped” alternate model in 2023.
5280 reppin’ 🏔️ pic.twitter.com/bn1JhLkZsf
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) April 22, 2024
Throwbacks an early hit
It didn’t take long for glowing reviews about the team’s throwback collection to flood social media. The prevailing sentiment: These should be the Broncos’ only uniforms.
For now, fans will eagerly await the games in which these uniforms, threads connected to the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance in 1977, are worn by the current team.
The retro nod to the “Orange Crush” era includes the “Legacy Blue ‘D’” helmet, a classic orange jersey with oversized numbers, white pants with a blue stripe down the side and white socks with orange and blue stripes.
The video release for the retro uniforms featured All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain visiting a thrift store in Denver and picking out the orange jersey. As he goes to check out at the register, he’s greeted by Randy Gradishar, the franchise’s newest Hall of Famer and heartbeat of the “Orange Crush” defense. Gradishar hands Surtain the blue retro helmet to pair with the jersey.
#BroncosCountry, you’ve been waiting for this. pic.twitter.com/LGK02wWdVe
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) April 22, 2024
“Glorious,” retired star pass rusher J.J. Watt tweeted. “THESE should be the permanents.”
The unveiling of the uniforms represents the latest significant change the organization has seen since Penner and the ownership group took over the team less than two years ago. The Broncos last offseason completed a $100 million upgrade to Empower Field at Mile High. They unveiled plans for a sprawling new practice facility that will open in 2026. They equipped the team’s current indoor fieldhouse with a new, state-of-the-art playing surface. The group fired Nathaniel Hackett 15 games into his lone season with the team, then traded for and hired Sean Payton as his replacement.
The investments have been significant but now wins have to follow. As the Broncos unveiled their uniforms to significant fanfare Monday, an obvious question followed: Will a first-round quarterback be lifting up one of these new jerseys when the NFL Draft arrives Thursday night?
(Photo of Javonte Williams: Gabriel Christus / Denver Broncos)