This was not supposed to be a Super Bowl pregame of forthright fashion statements. And then on Sunday, New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins walked into Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., (coincidentally, the only N.F.L. stadium currently named for a clothing company!) where his team would face the Seattle Seahawks.
Mr. Hollins’s hands and bare feet were shackled around his red jumpsuit with “Range 13” printed on the back, in an apparent reference to a “supermax” prison in Colorado. (Mr. Hollins’s number on the Patriots is also 13.)
His face was covered, à la Hannibal Lecter, and in his hands he carried a high school jersey from Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel; Mr. Hollins later put it on during warm-ups.
Pats fans know this well: Mr. Hollins is known for his outlandish game arrival outfits. He has dressed as Fred Flintstone, Animal from the Muppets and a character from the 1979 movie “The Warriors.” He’s also known to never wear shoes.
As of kickoff time on Sunday, Mr. Hollins had not commented on his outfit and it was not clear what, if any, commentary he was putting forth; a statement about how dangerous of a player Mr. Hollins considers himself to be; or just an excuse to celebrate Halloween in February. But, the outfit made Mr. Hollins an outlier among the arrivals.
Most players walked into the tunnel looking, well, as if the Super Bowl were just any other game. The afternoon was rich with stock pro athlete fare: bicep-compressing double-breasted suits, leather jackets likely worth a monthly mortgage payment, and Louis Vuitton monograms.
But some among them also used the season’s biggest game to make a personal connection — to nod back to a childhood nickname, or to showcase traditional garb from their home country. The occasion showed that these athletes, vying for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, coveted clothes that meant something, not just outfits that could be memed. Here, a look at the fits that stood out from the show before the show:
In just his second year, Patriots QB Drake Maye has finessed his “take me serious” QB uniform: an Italian-inflected suit, leather bag and designer loafers. If he gets a foot injury later, Pats fans may be revisiting Mr. Maye’s choice to go sockless.
A full monogrammed outfit on the average person: upholstery. A full monogrammed outfit on Seahawk cornerback Josh Jobe: sublime.
As Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs has recounted before, “Snoop” is a nickname his mother gave to him as a child. People have made belt buckles for far worse reasons than that.
Tipping to his Tongan heritage, Seahawks running back George Holani wore a taʻovala skirt. His shirt was embroidered with flags of the United States, New Zealand and Tonga.
Giving the best “Shaft” impersonation, Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence brandishes the Super Bowl logo.
OK, first off, excellent mullet on Seahawks fullback Brady Russell. His teammate Cooper Kupp (right) had the name of his wife, Anna, embroidered on his Carhartt jacket. Isn’t that sweet?
Patriots backup QB Tommy DeVito, dressed like Chewbacca on an alpine holiday, used the tunnel for a brand tie-in: His outfit was made by the outdoor retailer Columbia, a fact Mr. DeVito noted on his Instagram, with an “ad” disclaimer.