It is safe to say that the New York Jets have not had an easy road for over a decade. Currently, they are tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the longest playoff drought in American sports.
In such a circumstance, it may be best to consider a logo change that could promote or signal a new direction. This is what the New York Jets have chosen to do.
A few days ago, the New York Jets announced a rebrand for 2024. A new logo and uniforms were announced. The organization’s new rebrand was a callback to the era of the “New York Sack Exchange” in the 1980s. The “New York Sack Exchange” was a nickname for the Jets' defensive line spearheaded by greats such as Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau.
According to owner Woody Johnson, the rebrand was motivated by the Jets’ fan base's desire to revisit their roots.
In this piece, we will review the Jets’ previous logos before their brand-new one, announced a few days ago.
The first logo in franchise history appeared when the franchise was originally known as the “Titans of New York” during their time as a member of the AFL. (American Football League)
This logo included a football player wearing a black uniform with white pants and a helmet. He is standing to the left of the “The Titans of New York” wordmark. “The” is in tiny black lettering on the top of the logo. The logo is highlighted by a dark gold “Titans” wordmark in the middle. Finally, the bottom of the logo contains the “Of New York” wordmark in black lettering. This lasted from 1960 to 1962.
One year later, the logo was adopted as the “New York Jets” logo and a simple one was chosen. It was a small green airplane with a white “JETS” wordmark across the middle. This logo only existed in 1963.
A year later, the team switched to a white football design with a green outline. Within the football, a green bold “JETS” wordmark can be seen in the logo. Below the logo, a green football is visible. The “JETS” wordmark mostly obscures a white “NY” wordmark behind it. The “NY” wordmark also features a white outline in the design. This logo lasted from 1964 to 1967.
In 1967, the franchise retained the same design concept as its predecessor, although a few changes were introduced. The color of the football was changed from white to green. There was no exterior outline on the football anymore. The “JETS” wordmark was changed from green to white. The football's color on the logo's bottom was also changed to white.
However, the “NY” wordmark behind the “JETS” wordmark remained white. This logo was the franchise’s primary identifier from 1967 to 1978.
In 1978, the franchise underwent a complete redesign of its logo. The logo consisted of a stylized modern “JETS” wordmark with a small green wing at the top. This logo lasted until 1998.
In 1998, the franchise changed the logo again, as directed by Bill Parcells, the team's head coach and general manager at the time.
The franchise would revert to the design concept that was established in 1967. The only difference is that the logo was shaped like an oval instead of a football. One can see that the green oval was more rounded at the edges than the original design. There was no color outline at the edges. The white “JETS” wordmark is visible within the logo, with the white, stylized “NY” wordmark positioned slightly behind it. A white football can be seen at the bottom of the logo. This lasted from 1998 to 2019.
In 2019, the Jets made subtle changes to the design. The logo's shape changed from an oval back to a football again. However, the football inside contained a “NEW YORK JETS” wordmark this time. The “JETS” wordmark is on the bottom, while the “NEW YORK” wordmark is on top. Like its predecessor, a white football is at the bottom of the logo.
Now, the New York Jets have decided to revert to their logo from 1978 to 1998. The stylized green “JETS” wordmark with the green wing above will be the team’s primary brand identifier. This logo change aligns with the team’s mission of returning to its roots, which we hope will translate to better results on the field.
