The Detroit Lions spent months building anticipation for their new Nike Rivalries uniform.

Fans needed considerably less time to form an opinion.

Detroit officially unveiled its 2026 Rivalries look Tuesday morning, featuring a light-colored jersey and pants, dark numbers, “DETROIT” across the chest and black and Honolulu Blue accents.

The promotional video received plenty of praise.

The uniform itself?

Judging strictly by the immediate reaction underneath the reveal on X, the response was overwhelmingly negative.

Lions Fans Keep Seeing the Carolina Panthers

One complaint appeared almost immediately and then kept coming back.

Carolina Panthers.

Section 313 Sports was among those who saw the resemblance.

“Eh, these look like a Panthers uniform. I expected something cooler,” Section 313 Sports wrote on X.

Another fan was even more direct.

“I love you guys, but this is a Panthers jersey,” Mark wrote.

Diego Ospina V reached the same conclusion.

“Man. This is very disappointing. Looks like the Panthers,” Ospina wrote.

The comparison probably isn’t going away soon. Detroit and Carolina already share blue, black and white in their broader color palettes, and the dark shoulder accents on the Lions’ new jersey only strengthen the visual connection for some fans.

That wasn’t the only criticism.

The Lions used their existing alternate helmet with the Rivalries combination rather than introducing a completely new design, which disappointed some fans who expected the special uniform program to produce something more dramatic.

“Damn what a disappointment. Couldn’t even get a new helmet with it?!” one fan wrote.

Another response suggested the uniform itself wasn’t necessarily terrible, but said it “would’ve been much better with blue pants.”

The frustration was probably best summarized by Talking Grit: Detroit Lions Podcast, which separated the presentation from the product.

“Video is awesome. Jerseys kind of underwhelming,” Talking Grit wrote.

That appeared to be a fairly common position.

Detroit’s reveal video, built around the theme “Every opponent is an intruder,” was cinematic and aggressive. The actual uniform prompted considerably more shrugging.

Yes, Some Fans Actually Like Them

The reaction was not unanimous.

One fan apparently had no complaints whatsoever.

“HOW CAN I BUY ONE ADMIN,” Lauren wrote.

Another defender called the uniforms “Fireeee” and pushed back against the Panthers comparisons, pointing out that the franchises already use similar colors.

So there are people who like them.

They were just a little difficult to find Tuesday morning.

The good news for anyone ready to hand Nike their credit card is that Rivalries merchandise is scheduled to go on sale Sept. 1. Nike says the special uniforms will remain in each team’s rotation for three seasons. (Nike)

Detroit will debut the look Nov. 1 against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field.

The Lions had barely made Tuesday’s announcement before the uniform first leaked online, giving fans an early opportunity to start debating the design.

Once the complete combination arrived, the verdict didn’t get much friendlier.

Maybe the uniforms will look better under the Ford Field lights.

For now, the early returns are pretty clear.

Lions fans loved the reveal.

A lot of them wish there had been something different underneath it.