In 1993, the New England Patriots discarded a big piece of their history in an effort to leave the past behind. Pat Patriot, the gnarled Revolutionary War figure front and center in the team’s branding, was cast aside in favor of a more ’90s feel. In his place came a new logo; one that was half shooting star and half Elvis parti.
It was a terrible sartorial decision and one that, somehow, led to success on the field. 10 of the franchise’s 11 Super Bowl appearances came with the streaking Elvis occupying prime real estate on the team’s helmets. Pat Patriot was reduced to a throwback logo. When the league mandated teams could only use one set of helmets in a given season, he was further relegated to hoodies and other kinda/sorta off-brand apparel.
The Patriots are in need of a 1993-level change of luck thanks to three straight seasons without a playoff win. And with the league relaxing its helmet rules, the opportunity for throwback uniforms is more wide open than ever before. If cornerback Jalen Mills’ Instagram story is to be believed, we’re about to see the triumphant return of Pat Patriot.
Oh myyyyy. From Jalen Mills’ Instagram story…. pic.twitter.com/wvo0R63L2K
— Henry Coffey McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) April 21, 2022
New England sports some of the best-looking throwbacks in the league, floating in a stratosphere with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ creamsicle kits and the Orange Crush glory of Denver Broncos’ teams passed. And with the white helmets back in play, we could be returning to a world where these absolute stunners take center stage once more:
- That kit is absolutely perfect.
- lol is Steve Grogan wearing Saucony turf shoes? No wonder the Patriots lost that Super Bowl by 36 points.
Bringing back Pat Patriot was a no-brainer for New England once the NFL allowed teams to use multiple helmet designs in a single season — hell, Pat Patriot should have been the primary logo for the past 30 years. Now we’ll get to see what Mac Jones looks like wearing a clean slice of the 1960s.