The NFL is sometimes called the “No Fun League” for limitations and restrictions it puts on players and teams. In 2022, though, the league removed a restriction, which opened up the door for way more fun and creativity in the design of its uniforms. Since then, many fans have either loved or hated numerous NFL throwbacks and alternate jerseys.
Before the switch, teams were not allowed to wear alternate helmets, dramatically limiting their options. After the change, teams were allowed to introduce alternate helmets into the mix allowing for more much more creativity. This season, teams can wear alternate uniforms for up to three games. The league further expanded its uniform policy this offseason, allowing teams to add a third helmet next season.
The ability for teams to switch their helmet allows more freedom to go with historic looks and themed jerseys. Since these uniform sets are big changes, they almost always bring strong opinions in one direction or the other. Some fans love the designs and variety, but other options have drawn mixed reviews. There have even been some that have downright flopped.
Here’s a look at how I rank the most notable throwbacks and alternates of the past few seasons and when (or if) we can plan to see them this season.
21. Giants Century Red
The Giants rolled these out to celebrate their 100th season. Celebrating sounds like fun, but these uniforms are not where it’s at. Turning the clock back this far back to the 1920s is tough. The beige pants are almost required to be true to the era, but that doesn’t necesarily make them a good choice. The helmets are also a miss since they don’t look like the Giants in any way and could belong to any team with red and blue colors.
I do like the concept of using red as the primary color, but the blue strips around the letters and on the shoulders make this feel very patched together. They’re almost like a bad “create-a-uniform” from a video game. It also looks like a blue and red ensemble from a game that didn’t get rights to the Giants and wanted to get close but not too close to their look. Overall, these uniforms are a huge miss for me.
The Giants will wear these right out of the gate in Week 1 against the Vikings. They also promised (threatened?) to bring them back a second time, although no date has been announced.
20. Colts “Indiana Nights”
The Colts debuted their “Indiana Nights” look last year and went, going with a black helmet for the first time ever. They’ll bring them back this year in Week 12 against the Lions.
The look itself isn’t awful, I just don’t love introducing black without a reason. The Colts lean into their white and blue in so many ways that adding black to the mix feels off. The attempt to texture the jersey also looks weird on TV and almost reads like they’re made of velvet. The Lions’ foray into blue and black is much more successful (see later on this list), while these feel like just putting on a black helmet while keeping most of the white piping. Somehow, it goes too far and not far enough at the same time. This look might even challenge the Giants for worse on the list if it wasn’t for the alternate logo with the C and the silhouette of Indiana, which is actually very creative.
19. Commanders black alts
The Commanders are another team that seems to be forcing black into their alternates. The new gold pants may help with that, but they just don’t look like the Commanders enough in black and gold. The maroon accents are too subtle and leave them looking a little too much like the Steelers.
While they haven’t announced when the new gold pants will be worn, the Commanders will take up the black against the Bears on Oct. 27 and the Titans on Dec. 1.
18. Packers Winter Warning
The NFC North is embracing all white uniforms this season with both the Packers and Vikings going with winter-themed looks. Whether coordinated or not, neither of these feels like a hit to me. The Packers’ version is very basic with all white pants and jerseys and green and yellow brought in as accents on the piping. The much anticipated white helmet is very simple and straightforward as well. There is a lot of negative wasted space in this set for me.
Ultimately, the major issue with these is “timing is everything.” The Packers’ all-white could be great in December in a snowstorm with a literal whiteout, but they’re wearing them on October 20 against the Texans. It should be a great matchup, but it’s still very much fall in Green Bay at that point. The all-white look may read more like a Penn State game than a Packers home game.
17. Vikings Winter Warrior
The Vikings’ Winter Warrior look is also pretty simple and straight forward. I give them the edge over the Packers’ version since the purple is accented with a good metallic gray. I prefer the helmets to Green Bay’s version, and think it works with purple better than green and gold.
Like with real estate, though, “location is king,” and these get a downgrade from me since the Vikings will be wearing them in the climate-controlled environment of U.S. Bank Stadium. At least they’ll wear them in December, when they host the Bears in Week 15, but the chances of actual snow or winter weather in the game is zero. If the Vikings wore these outside in the snow, they’d read more like “Winter Warriors.” Instead they’re more like blank jerseys with plenty of empty space.
16. Panthers blue
After getting those four underwhelming alternates out of the way, the rest of these uniform sets are pretty solid. The Carolina blue has been part of the Panthers’ colors since the franchise joined the NFL in 1995. In 2002, the team added an alternate “electric blue” jersey, and the look feels extremely on-brand as a result. This season, they’ll wear them in Week 6 against the Falcons and Week 10 against the Giants.
These are a very solid, iconic set, and the only down side here is that they’re not terribly original.
15. 49ers Red Classic
The 49ers Classic red throwbacks are not a huge departure from their regular uniforms, which slides them a couple spots down the list. The red, black and white looks solid while leaving out the gold from the regular uniform set along with the shift to a slightly brighter red from the 1950s
San Francisco will wear these in Week 8 against the Cowboys and Week 17 against the Lions.
14. Jaguars Prowler Throwbacks
The Jaguars are turning things back with their new “Prowler” throwbacks this season. The Jaguars will wear these for the first time in Week 5 when former head coach Tom Coughlin will be inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars. They’re based on the 1995 expansion uniforms and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise.
With such a strong historical connection, they feel very on-brand, and the only thing I don’t love is the black outlining of the stripe on the pants. Give that Jaguars’ teal room to breathe!
In other Jaguars’ uni news, the team will debut a white alternate helmet against the Vikings Nov. 10.
13. Texans Battle Red
The Texans actually have two new alternates that they’ll debut this year as part of their new set. This “Battle Red” emphasizes one of the colors in their logo and utilizes the red helmets with the horns flaring back form the facemask. These are close to being great, but maybe just a little of the light blue their incorporating could take them to the next level.
They’ll wear these Week 10 against the Lions. As a bonus, here’s a look at the H-town alternates as well, which they’ll wear week 5 against the Bills:
12. Falcons Red Helmet
The Falcons will break out their alternate red helmets in Week 4 against the Saints and use them again in Week 5 and Week 16. Atlanta is using all its alternate weeks on this look, and it’s a pretty good one. They originally brought them back in 2022 and then wore them three times last year.
The red helmet is a near replica of the helmet the team wore from 1966 to 1969. It’s a clean and classic Falcons’ look that I prefer to the current uniform set in which the team wears a black helmet. The Falcons also get a bonus spot or two on this list for not bringing back the gradiant look they played around with last season.
11. Bengals White
The Bengals introduced orange pants to give them even more looks in their regular rotation, but they’ll continue to use these all-white alternates that they call the “White Bengal” look. The White Bengal made its debut in 2022 with the white helmet on their white color rush look. Last year, they wore the white helmet with their regular white jerseys instead which bring sublte pops of orange into the mix as well.
This year, the rare White Bengal will appear for the team’s October 27 home game against the Eagles. It should be a fun “white out” environment for what will be one of the most anticipated matchups of the week.
10. Jets “The Classic”
Of all the “plain” white uniforms these stand out because they truly are so classic. The Jets’ new uniform set is mostly all throwback-based, and this specific version is called simply “The Classic.” Even though it’s simple and straightforward, it’s definitely the Jets’ most classic look, hearkening back to the New York Sack exchange from the early 80s and their 1968 Super Bowl championship.
They’ll break out these classic beauties against the Bills on Monday Night Football on October 14.
9. Ravens Purple
The Ravens have embraced the purple in their palette for their color rush unis in the past, but they’ve never had a purple helmet involved as well. This could be one of the best looks out there, although we haven’t seen it in person or learned what game they’ll be showcasing it yet. It has gotten strong reviews from most people, though, so maybe they’ll expand it to a couple games. I love the potential here.
8. Titans Oilers
The aesthetics of this uniform set independently would have them much higher on this list. They get downgraded, though, since they’re worn by the Titans in Tennessee rather than the Texans in Houston. I know, the Titans are the Oilers franchise that relocated, but the jersey feels off to a degree, especially when they wore them against the Texans last year. The historic beauty and fun, iconic blue is great, but it’s tricky since the team it is recognizable for is not the team that currently wears them… kinda. Ultimately, it shouldn’t be this confusing.
The tweet above from Schefty is for the 2023 season since the team hasn’t made an official announcement of their plans for this season. Mike Keith, the voice of the Titans, said on a podcast that the team won’t wear these until Week 18 of the upcoming season. Week 18 is a big divisional home game against the Texans, so it’ll be the Oilers vs. Houston once again.
7. Seahawks blue
The Seahawks wore this fabulous royal blue and green uniform set in the 1990s. The original retro Seahawks logo on the sleeves with thick blue and green stripes throughout and the helmet from the old Kingdome days resonate as a throwback and also are easily identifiable with the team.
This year, the Seahawks will be wearing them in Week 6 against the 49ers in a head-to-head battle of two alternates.
6. Lions Black
The Lions’ new uniform set is solid overall, but I think they really nailed it with the alternate black with the Honolulu Blue helmet. If they wear it with the blue pants as well, it could be quickly climb even higher on this list. While the team hasn’t announced which games will feature this look, it’s already becoming a fan favorite.
The black is back at the request of coach Dan Campbell, who has done a great job resetting the culture overall. Lions legend Calvin Johnson has also weighed in, and said that these should be the new primary uniform. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but I do think it will be an awesome look for this young team on the rise.
5. Dolphins Aqua
After wearing these great aqua options just once last year, they wore variations for all three games this preseason. The retro logo of the dolphin with the helmet on the helmet is always fun, and the aqua color itself feels very right for a Florida team that has used teal or aqua throughout its history.
This season, they’ll wear these at home in Week 2 in a division showdown against the Bills and run them back on Thanksgiving Day for their big game in Green Bay.
4. Eagles Kelly Green
The Eagles wore these uniforms from 1985-1995 during the height of the Randall Cunningham era. The Kelly Green returned for the first time in 2023, and the team went 2-0 in these threads, defeating the Dolphins and Bills. The fanbase has embraced this look, and it actually has become more prevalent at many Eagles’ games than their current color scheme.
The Eagles will wear these unique uniforms twice this season, debuting them in Week 9 against the Jaguars on Sunday Night Football and running them back the second-to-last week of the season on December 29 against the Cowboys.
3. Broncos Classics
I have mixed feelings about the Broncos’ complete new uniform set debuting this season, but I’m definitely here for these throwbacks. The “Mile High Collection” includes these new interpretations of the 1970s-era “Orange Crush” uniforms. The “Legacy Blue” helmets with the club’s old “D” logo complete the look and put these right near the top of any throwback list. The socks and stripes are also on point.
We’ll get our first look at these “new” throwbacks on October 6 when the Broncos take on the Raiders. They’ll also run them back in Week 18 against the Chiefs to close out the regular season.
2. Pat Patriot
The Patriots aren’t expected to have much to look forward to this season, but at least these nostalgic uniforms should make an appearance. The Pat the Patriot logo is great by itself but the red jerseys and blue trim around the letters add to the effect, giving the team an old-school look that is clearly still the Patriots.
While nothing has been officially announced for the Patriots uniform schedule, there were reports from training camp that these would be in the mix for two games like they were last season. There were also rumors about silver pants, which could be a nice contrast to mix in to the regular uniform set. While we don’t know when, these classic jerseys and iconic helmets should certainly be in the plan this year since they’re such fan favorites for a fanbase that may need something to cheer for.
1. Buccaneers Creamsicle
While other throwbacks and alternates try, none come close to matching these iconic throwbacks for me. Buccaneer Bruce on the helmet and the Creasicle color scheme hit all the right notes. The Bucs were awful when these were their primary uniforms, but these still stand out as the best of the bunch. They are just retro enough without feeling dated and different enough from the team’s primary uniform set but still staying iconic. For me, others can continue to challenge, but the creamsicle remains the standard.
This season, the Bucs will wear these threads on October 27, when they host the Falcons.
Are these your top option too? What do you agree or disagree with in my rankings? Did I miss your favorite or misrank your team’s options? Let me know on X @ZT_Sports, where you can find all my fantasy sports coverage on @DKNetwork and follow along for more fun throughout the season.
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