The secret is officially out. Again.
The Minnesota Vikings unveiled their new uniforms Thursday prior to the start of the NFL Draft. A cross between Minnesota's throwback uniforms and a futuristic look, the new outfits got their first public viewing Thursday night at the team's draft party in the Metrodome.
Earlier in the week, the designs were leaked as the Jacksonville Jaguars released photos of their new uniforms. Then Minnesota's official unveiling Thursday was undercut again when Nike released photos of the uniforms an hour before the Vikings' planned announcement.
The team calls the new uniforms "a modern representation of Nordic culture combined with the Vikings' long-standing football tradition. The new design provides a modern twist on the classic Vikings uniforms."
The team's helmet, with a previously released slightly altered new logo, will feature a matte finish with a black facemask. Four different versions of the uniform were released, including an all-purple combination.
"These uniforms embrace the strong tradition of the Vikings but add a contemporary feel that speaks to the future of this organization," Vikings owner-president Mark Wilf said in a release. "We believe Vikings fans will be extremely proud of the new uniforms."
The uniforms employ more of a gold detail in lieu of yellow and what looks like a deeper purple tint. The numbers adopt a futuristic look with tails at the end and curves that the release said, "reflect the bow of a Vikings ship."
The team also has gone back a simple gold and white stripe along the shoulder and pants, resembling its throwback uniforms and casting aside the large vertical stripes on the previous jerseys.
"The fine details make this uniform special," linebacker Chad Greenway said in the release. "The threading in the collar, just the subtle little things that are going to make people say, ‘That's our Vikings uniform as we know it.' To the fan who is really a Minnesota Vikings fan true to its core, they're going to love this uniform."
The four-color combinations include white pants and white jersey; white pants and purple jersey; purple pants and white jersey; and the all-purple pants and jersey combination.
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