Logos and uniforms of the New York Jets

Cornerback Darrelle Revis wearing the New York Titans throwback uniform in 2008. This design combined the original shade of gold from 1960 with the 1961–62 striping modifications.

The original Titans of New York wore navy blue jerseys with old gold numerals, gold pants with two parallel blue stripes on each side, and navy blue helmets with a single gold stripe down the center and no logo decals.[1] The white jerseys had navy blue numerals. The designs resembled those of Notre Dame due to an affinity the franchise's original principal owner, Harry Wismer, had for the Fighting Irish.[2] Wismer, who was considered a sportscasting pioneer, broadcast replays of Notre Dame football games prior to owning the Titans.[3] In 1961 the Titans added UCLA-style shoulder stripes (white and gold on the blue jerseys, navy blue and gold on the white jerseys), changed the pants striping to a blue stripe flanked by white stripes, and employed a somewhat brighter shade of gold.

This 1964 game program cover shows how the original Jets jersey sleeves were tailored, with thick stripes above and below the TV numeral and ¾-length sleeves. By the mid-1970s the sleeves were shorter and the shoulder stripes thinner.

1968 game program showing the 1965-77 helmet and primary logo design. The logo decal was set horizontally beginning in 1972.

When a Sonny Werblin-led syndicate purchased the team prior to the 1963 season and renamed it the Jets, the entire uniform was redesigned and replaced. Navy and gold were abandoned in favor of kelly green and white; white pants and green or white jerseys.[1] Werblin had embraced those colors because he was born on Saint Patrick's Day.[4][1][5] The jersey sleeves were opposite-colored (white on green and vice versa) from shoulder to elbow, with thick stripes above and below the TV numerals. The pants were white with two parallel green stripes on each side, and the socks were green above the ankle with two parallel white stripes around the calf. The new helmets were white with a single green stripe down the center; the logo decal on each side was a silhouette of a jet airplane in green, with the nose pointed toward the front of the helmet and the word "JETS" in thick white sans-serif italics along the fuselage. In 1964, the single green stripe became two parallel stripes, and the jet-plane decals were replaced with a white football shape outlined in green, with the word "JETS" in green sans-serif italics in front of "NY" in green outline serif lettering, and a miniature football at bottom center. The decals were difficult to see from a distance (or on television), so the colors were reversed and the decals enlarged in 1965.

This design remained largely unchanged through 1977, apart from some variations to the numeral and lettering typefaces, the angle of the helmet decals, and adjustments to the shoulder and sleeve striping due to changes in NFL jersey tailoring and materials.[1] The white stripes on the socks were eliminated in 1975. Also, for at least one game in 1971 the Jets used a variation of their white jerseys that had no green stripes on the shoulders above the green sleeves.

1978–97 Jets wordmark and primary logo. A thin black outline was added in 1990.

Defensive lineman Scott Mersereau (left) wearing the 1978-89 uniform. Note the green helmet, wordmark decal and modified shoulder/sleeve design.

The Jets' first major design change was made for the 1978 season. The kelly green and white color scheme was retained; the new helmets were solid green with white facemasks, and a stylized "JETS" wordmark in white on each side. The mark featured angular lettering and a silhouette of a modern jet airplane extending horizontally to the right from the top of the "J" above the "ETS". The jerseys featured large TV numerals on the shoulders and two thick parallel stripes on the sleeves, while the pants had a single green stripe from hip to knee on each side.[1] The team used both serif and sans-serif lettering for player names on the back of the jerseys in 1978 and 1979, then sans-serif only beginning in 1980. From 1985-89, the Jets wore their white jerseys at home as well as on the road; the green jerseys appeared only on rare occasions in road games when the host team wore white.

In 1990, the Jets modified this design by adding thin black outlines to the numerals, lettering, stripes and helmet decals, and changing the facemasks from white to black.[1] The team reverted to using the green jersey as its primary home uniform, reintroduced the white stripes on the socks, and added a set of green pants to be worn with the white jerseys along with white socks that had two parallel green stripes around the calf. In 1995, player names on the backs of the jerseys were changed from black-outlined sans-serif lettering to one-color serif lettering. The team occasionally wore white pants and standard socks with the white jerseys in 1995 and 1996, then did so for all games in 1997.

This photo from 2011 shows the 1998–2018 Jets uniform, which was generally consistent during that time with some variations in tailoring and coloration. Note the shoulder inserts designed to simulate the 1963–77 striping pattern on the sleeves.

Upon taking over as administrator and head coach in 1997, Bill Parcells took the initiative and began the process of re-forming the team's identity, which included redesigning the team's uniforms, logos and wordmarks for the 1998 season.[6] The team changed its primary uniform color from the bright kelly green to the darker hunter green, abandoned black as a trim color, and replaced the stylized "JETS" wordmark with a modified version of the 1965-77 logo, this one oval rather than football-shaped and with a somewhat "cleaner" appearance, with starker lines defining the lettering and football graphic.[6] The helmets reverted to white with two parallel green stripes down the center, the new primary logo decal on each side, and new green facemasks.[7] The jerseys and pants also resembled the 1963-77 uniforms, with alternating shoulder stripes, opposite-colored sleeves and TV numerals, and two green parallel stripes from hip to knee on each side. The new primary logo was also added to the jersey front, by the player's left shoulder.[7] The socks became solid green above the ankle, with no stripes.

This uniform remained largely unchanged through 2018, save for some variations in coloration and shoulder/sleeve tailoring, and the occasional commemorative patch. In 2002, the team introduced a set of green pants with two parallel white stripes on each side, along with white socks with green stripes resembling those used with the green pants from 1990-97.[8] The green pants were worn occasionally with both the green and white jerseys through 2018.[9][10] Although the white socks were meant to be worn with the green pants, the team tended to use them whenever the white jerseys were worn, with either green or white pants.

The Jets changed their uniforms again in 2019, abandoning the team's classic look for the second time.[11][12] The new design replaced the dark hunter green with a medium green that the team calls "Gotham Green," and again added black to the traditional green-and-white color scheme. The primary logo was modified to be more football-shaped, with the "JETS" wordmark adjusted to make the "J" the same height as the other letters and moved slightly downward, the redesigned football graphic partially covering the lower portion of the letters "E" and "T". The serif outline "NY" behind the "JETS" wordmark was eliminated, and replaced with "NEW YORK" centered above it in smaller sans-serif italics.

The helmet was changed to a deep metallic emerald green shell with a black facemask, no striping, and a secondary logo on each side consisting of the "JETS" wordmark and football graphic from the primary logo. The green and white primary jerseys have numerals with thin black outlines in a new sans-serif block-style font, with single horizontal stripes around the shoulders tapering toward the collar, a "NEW YORK" wordmark above the numerals on the front, and the player's name in sans-serif block letters on the back. The TV numerals were shifted from the sleeves to the upper shoulders. The jerseys are paired with either green or white pants, with a tapered stripe on each side from hip to lower thigh, and green or white socks.

The Jets also introduced a black alternate uniform, with white numerals outlined in green, green striping, and black socks.