Gregg Parrott didn’t waste any time. With a gift card in hand, the 36-year-old walked through the double-doors of the Broncos’ team store at Empower Field at Mile High, spotted Pat Surtain II’s version of the new navy blue uniforms unveiled on Monday morning, and immediately went to the cash register.
Soon after purchasing the jersey, Parrott put it on and walked around with pride. For the Milliken resident, the Broncos’ new jerseys are more than just a modern update of the last uniform design that came out in 1997. He and many Broncos fans who visited the team store, looking to get a glimpse of the new jerseys hours after the reveal, believe the franchise is ushering in a new era.
“It’s time,” Parrott said. “I’m not sure what direction (we’re) going but it will be good. I’m excited.”
RELATED: Broncos unveil new uniforms in first major refresh since 1997
In what Damani Leech called a “momentous day” in team history, the Broncos president said fans were the driving force for why the team wanted to introduce new uniforms after 27 years.
Jordan Lamb, a 23-year-old Westminster resident, said the old uniforms were becoming outdated and believed the new look is refreshing. He likes the mountain design on the shoulder and how the team updated the helmets.
With head coach Sean Payton approaching his second season in charge and the Walton Penner ownership group nearly two years into running the franchise, he said the organization is welcoming a younger generation.
“It’s great to see something getting updated,” Lamb said. “They’re introducing a younger generation to a great team that’s been around for decades. We want Broncos Country to expand.”
For 39-year-old Matthew Kapsak, the Broncos’ performance on the field hasn’t matched the changes within the organization. But he said the uniforms are a way to breathe new life into the team while keeping fans excited.
Leech said he knew the feedback from fans would be mixed. But he was pleasantly surprised by how much of the sentiment online had been positive. When Gary Funk, 43, first saw the uniforms, he wasn’t the biggest fan. Funk, a Westminster resident, said the previous jerseys symbolized winning, as the Broncos captured three Lombardi trophies with those designs.
But when he saw the jerseys inside the team store, he started to warm up to the idea of change.
“I’m very attached to (the old design). I didn’t see any reason to change,” he said. “(The new jerseys) have grown on me a little bit. The mountain on the shoulder. … I didn’t notice it until I saw it on the back of a t-shirt.”
Leech said the team didn’t come into the process with the idea that these uniforms would last forever. “We didn’t put a date on it, either,” he said. “So we love them right now (and) I think we’re gonna love them for a while.”
Following the release of the new uniforms, the Broncos also unveiled their throwback jerseys, which honor the Orange Crush era and the 1977 season when the franchise made its first Super Bowl appearance. That led to many on social media questioning why the Broncos didn’t make the old school uniforms the primary ones.
“I’m old so (those jerseys) need to be,” 58-year-old Brian Jerky said. “It’s how I remember them back in the day.”
Leech said he anticipated that critique. He said the team “hardly” entertained the idea of making the old school jerseys be the primary ones. They wanted a fresh design. While fans are pleased about the throwback uniform, some of them are glad they can only be worn three times a year.
“Having it too much is like an eyesore,” Lamb said. “It’s great to have, but you have to switch things up.”
Whether fans liked or hated the new uniforms, most agreed that it’s a sign of a new beginning and good things to come in the future.
“I think new ownership started changing the culture from Day 1 and showed that they care,” Funk said. “Hopefully, it’s going the right way now.”
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