It's to be determined if the NFL regular season will kick off on time as Roger Goodell would like, amid increasing concerns during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, but some teams are generating excitement this offseason, nonetheless. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers not only landed four-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady in free agency, but they then immediately unveiled completely new uniforms to indirectly (or maybe directly) commemorate the move. Although the Atlanta Falcons are just fine with former league MVP Matt Ryan calling the shots, they've now joined their Floridian rivals in unleashing redesigned uniforms as well -- revealing them to the world on Wednesday. 

"Time and again, we've heard you ask for new uniforms over the years," owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. "We've listened to your feedback and worked closely with Nike and the NFL over the past two years to create a look that represents you and reflects Atlanta's culture, pride and unity."

This marks the first full-scale uniform change for the Falcons in 17 years.

"The Falcons have a proud tradition of bringing people and communities together from all walks of life with a shared passion for winning football, and the intense desire to see a championship-caliber team both on and off the field," Blank said in a letter to the team's fans. "Football will be back and when it is, I can promise our Falcons will be stronger than ever -- for our loyal fans and for our city."

Unlike the Buccaneers, the Falcons' series of uniform changes have never featured an alternate color as different from their base colorway as were the famed Tampa Bay Creamsicles, and that won't change for 2020. Blank is continuing the legacy of the team by sticking to the traditional black, white and red trio, but adding gradient to the red jersey that bleeds into black to match black bottoms with a red side stripe. The most notable change outside of that is the all-white combination with highly-contrasting black jersey numbers, a design that lends a nod to Nike's Color Rush design that features an alternate color from top to bottom.

There have been times in the past when the Falcons went for a more throwback look but, this time around, they have their eyes firmly planted on the future while keeping just enough nostalgia to remember where they came from.