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On Thursday night, the Tennessee Titans welcomed a new era for the franchise. A couple of months after hiring Robert Saleh as the team's new head coach, the franchise revealed a brand new logo, color scheme and uniforms that spark a ton of changes for the Titans.
The Titans ditched their flaming logo, cut back on navy and embraced the baby blue aesthetic that hearkens back to the franchise's Houston/Tennessee Oilers days. While many are loving the rebrand, a large portion of Houston Texans fans are not.
Houston Texans fans still feel their franchise should have rights to Oilers colors
The reason for that is that many Texans fans, and some notable NFL analysts, believe the Texans should be the rightful owners of the Oilers color scheme and history. When the Texans joined the NFL as an expansion team in 2002, they did so with navy, red and white colors. Meanwhile, the Titans frequently sported baby blue throwback jersey in honor of their Oiler days.
The Titans are the true Oilers franchise. They were founded as the Houston Oilers in 1959, then became the Tennessee Oilers in 1997 when the team was moved to Nashville by the same original owner, Bud Adams. The team then changed its name to the Tennessee Titans ahead of the 1999 season.
As longtime Houston journalist John McClain pointed out after the Titans unveiled their new logo and uniforms, the Texans are simply out of options when it comes to donning the Oilers colors.
That hasn't stopped Texans fans from being perturbed about the situation. They still feel that the Oilers and Texans franchise are linked due to the city of Houston. But they are two different franchises, plain and simple.
Regardless, this is sure to keep the rivalry between the AFC South squads fresh heading into the 2026 season.