The return of former two-sport superstar Deion Sanders’ Nike signature line has been one of 2024’s biggest sneaker stories, going beyond retro releases and appearing frequently in cleat form on both collegiate and NFL fields. The push will continue this fall with the release of a new style that nods to Sanders’ professional legacy.
Specifically, the upcoming Nike Air DT Max ’96 “Falcons” updates Sanders’ third signature shoe with the colors of the Atlanta Falcons. As he’s known today, “Coach Prime” played with the Falcons from 1989 to 1993, establishing his early career in the NFL.
While the Air DT Max ’96 model often features heavy color contrast on the jagged lines of its two-tone upper, this “Falcons” colorway is more reserved, mixing black with a “Team Anthracite” gray that matches the colors of the team’s home uniforms. And just like the jerseys, the Air DT Max ’96 uses sparse red accents which appear on the liner, pull tabs, branding and the heel’s “21” embroidery — a reference to Sanders’ uniform number.
Thus far in ’24, the Air DT Max ’96 has mostly been released in colorways inspired by the Colorado Buffaloes football team, where Sanders has been the head coach since December 2022. An outlier was the return of the shoe’s original “Varsity Maize” colorway, a style that has been rereleased frequently but was last seen in 2018 prior to Sanders and Nike reestablishing their relationship.
Looking ahead to 2025, Sanders’ first-ever Nike shoe, the Air Diamond Turf, is expected to be released in February. The model is also said to inspire a new hybrid version of LeBron James’ LeBron 21 sneaker set for a summer ’25 launch.
As for this “Falcons” Air DT Max ’96, readers can expect it to arrive in stores during the month of November. It’s priced at $170 and has a full colorway of “Black/White-Team Anthracite-Metallic Silver-Fire Red” and a SKU of HQ3620-010.
