The Atlanta Falcons went back to black on Wednesday morning, unveiling a new look that includes modernized uniforms and a matte-black helmet.
Atlanta's first rebrand in 17 years is a "comprehensive redesign" that blends the Falcons' classic style with the "progression" of modern Atlanta, according to the team.
"As you know, part of our promise as an organization is to listen and respond. It's at the very core of who we are," Falcons owner Arthur Blank wrote in a statement to fans. "Time and again, we've heard you ask for new uniforms over the years, and in the spirit of our core values, we've listened to you and responded with what I know will be an exciting new era of Falcons football.
"We've stayed true to our roots by keeping our colors and the Falcon bird intact -- making it even more prominent than ever before but delivering a more modern design that reflects our team, our fans and this great city. Black has been a part of our history since 1966 and both our fans and players have asked us to bring it back. The 'ATL' moniker is known around the world and we now wear it proudly as our badge of unity, diversity and togetherness. Something our world needs more of, especially in these tough times."
The Falcons' new ensemble includes black jerseys with black pants for home games and white with white for away games, eliminating the primary red home jersey. There are eight different color combinations, made up of four jerseys (black home, white away, gradient alternate, 1966 throwbacks) and four pants.
One of the main notable changes, other than Atlanta returning to black as its primary color, changing its helmet style from glossy to matte and enlargening the bird on the helmet, is the addition of "ATL" above the numbers on the home, away and gradient kits "as a reflection of a city constantly on the rise."
"I think these new uniforms will give us, give the city a new energy and I think people are going to really be excited about it," defensive lineman Grady Jarrett said in a statement. "We know this is a tough time for everyone right now, but we hope this can bring some excitement and light to our city and our fans. Around the whole world everybody knows what ATL stands for, so we're proud to represent that, today and every day."
Atlanta's uniform reveal was originally scheduled for April 14. The Falcons' jerseys will still go on sale starting next Tuesday.
