If you’re like me, you love everything to do with pro football … including the uniforms our heroes wear each week during the NFL season. Jerseys have been in the news more often lately, as several teams have created alternate helmets and uniforms or are turning back the clock and returning to their throwback jersey roots.
For better or worse, several teams will be showcasing these new old looks this upcoming season. Many of them are going to be a nostalgia bomb. Others, unfortunately, are going to miss the mark. Maybe they’re not as bad as the Buccaneers’ short-lived alarm clock disasters, but some of them are certainly pretty close!
With that in mind, I put together two of my favorite things, fantasy football and NFL uniforms, and did a four-round uniform draft. The getups that are involved include the alternates or throwbacks from 2022-23. If a team doesn’t have a new look, I went with the most recent throwback uniform the team has worn on the field. If a team didn’t have either, I went with their first-ever franchise unis.
So, sit back, relax and go down this uniform rabbit hole with me!
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Andy Hayt/Sports Illustrated
--- ROUND 1 ---
1.1. Titans (1980-1990s Oilers Powder Blue Throwbacks)
These are maybe the most glorious uniforms ever created. The powder blues with the red and white numbers, white helmet and oil derricks! Be still my beating heart … Luv Ya Blue! The Titans will wear them against the Falcons and Texans.
1.2. Dolphins (1970s Teal Throwbacks)
The Dolphins switching from their 1970s logo and uniforms is one of the great jersey travesties of all time. Miami will wear these teal and orange beauties vs. the Patriots in late October and then against the Cowboys on Christmas Eve.
1.3. Falcons (1960s Black Throwbacks)
I absolutely love the Falcons’ red helmets from back in the 1960s, paired with a black uniform and gray pants. Heck, the red getups from the 1980s with Steve Bartkowski are beautiful, too. Atlanta will wear the red hats three times this season.
Malcolm Emmons/USA TODAY Sports
1.4. Eagles (1980-90s Kelly Green Throwbacks)
The Eagles should never have gone away from the Kelly greens! These beauties will bring back memories of Randall Cunningham and the ‘80s teams, and now Jalen Hurts and crew will wear them twice during the upcoming 2023 campaign.
John Iacono/Sports Illustrated
1.5. Seahawks (1990s Royal Blue Throwbacks)
The current Seahawks uniforms aren’t bad, but they actually perfected them in the 1990s with the combination of royal blue, green and white. They’ll wear these awesome jerseys in a Week 8 home game against the Browns.
Andy Hayt/Sports Illustrated
1.6. Patriots (1980-90s Red Throwbacks)
The Patriots don’t have great memories wearing the “Pat the Patriot” helmets and the red uniforms, but those are some of the best getups in sports. New England will wear their throwback uniforms twice this season, in Week 2 and Week 13.
1.7. Chargers (2022 Royal Blue Alternates)
The Chargers powder blues are in the top three all time, but those are their main uniforms. Their alternates are the royal blues with yellow numbers. It’s another in a long line of perfect uniform combinations that the Chargers have created.
Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated
1.8. Buccaneers (1970-90s Creamsicle Throwbacks)
The Buccaneers were mostly awful when they wore the creamsicles, but these are still some of the most unique and beautiful uniforms in the NFL. “Bucco Bruce” will make his long-awaited return in a Week 6 home game against the Lions.
--- ROUND 2 ---
Michael Longo/USA Today Sports Network
2.9. Steelers (1960s-70s Black Throwbacks)
The current Steelers throwbacks are the uniforms the team wore in the late 1960s-90s during their Steel Curtain era. They wore these unis last season against the Raiders to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.
2.10. Vikings (1960-70s Purple Throwbacks)
The Vikings throwbacks include a deeper purple color with larger, yellow-trimmed numbers. They also include a gray facemask that I like better than the white or purple ones. These uniforms will be worn in the regular-season opener.
2.11. Bills (1970s White Throwbacks)
There have been rumors that the Bills were going to wear their Jim Kelly-era red hats and blue uniforms this season, but that hasn’t been confirmed. As a result, I went with their O.J. Simpson-era white uniforms with the red bison logo.
2.12. Raiders (1970s White Throwbacks)
The last time the Raiders wore throwbacks was their white uniforms with the silver numbers that celebrate their 1970s team. I personally like the Silver & Black better, but these are still iconic and sharp uniforms for an historic NFL franchise.
2.13. Giants (1980-90s Navy Blue Throwbacks)
I’m a child of the ‘80s, so I have a soft spot for uniforms of this decade. That includes the navy-blue Giants jerseys with the underlined “GIANTS” on the helmet. Big Blue will wear these getups twice this season, in Week 1 and again in Week 14.
2.14. Jets (1980s White Throwbacks)
The Jets will honor their “Sack Exchange” era teams with their beautiful white unis with the white “Jets” logo on the side of the helmets. I like the green uniforms better, but these are still sweet. They’ll be worn in Week 1 and Week 4 in 2023.
2.15. Rams (1970-90s Navy Blues)
The Rams have made some bad decisions with their uniforms, including wearing the helmet with the white horn and the gold and blue jerseys. Yuck. Still, their old-school navy blue and yellow getups are easily their best and most iconic uniforms.
2.16. Bengals (2022 White Alternates)
Some might think this ranking is too high, but I really love the “White Bengal” look that the team unveiled last season. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and crew will wear the white hats and uniforms against the Rams on Monday Night Football in Week 3.
--- ROUND 3 ---
3.17. Cowboys (2022 White Alternates)
The Cowboys refuse to bring back their glorious royal blues from the 1970s, and the latest iteration of their uniforms was worn last season. The white helmets aren’t bad, but I don’t really love the all-white uniforms … and I’m a huge Cowboys honk.
3.18. Saints (1970s Black Throwbacks)
The Saints revealed an alternate black helmet with all white uniforms last season in a London game against the Vikings. The helmet looks good, lined with tiny fleur-de-lis, but I prefer their 1970s black throwbacks with the gold pants.
3.19. Packers (1950s Green Throwbacks)
The Packers wore their all green, 1950s uniform two years ago against Washington. The jersey looks very sharp, featuring green pants and socks with yellow numbers and stripes. They also wore blue and yellow throwbacks from 2015-19.
3.20. Browns (1940-50s White Throwbacks)
The Browns introduced a new white alternate helmet and uniform, a look the team hasn’t worn since the 1940s. They’ll debut the new look in a Week 2 home game against the Steelers and will wear them again in Week 6 and Week 17.
3.21. Chiefs (1960s Texans Red Throwbacks)
The Chiefs haven’t done the whole alternate uniform, and their uniforms haven’t changed much over the years. The one time they did alter their look was in 2009, when they broke out the 1960s version of the Dallas Texans uniforms.
3.22. Broncos (2023 White Alternates)
The Broncos unveiled a new “snowcapped” white helmet that features the classic logo that started in the 1960s. While I like the white helmet look, I’d have preferred to see them go back to the blue helmets during their “Orange Crush” era.
3.23. Panthers (2022 Black Alternates)
The Panthers unveiled an alternate black helmet and uniform combination that also includes their light blue and white stripes and numbers. It’s a sharp look and one of my favorites among the more recent alternate uniform combinations.
3.24. Jaguars (1990s Teal Throwbacks)
The Jaguars don’t have an alternate or throwback uniform, so I went back to their original getups from the ‘90s that were worn by Mark Brunell and crew. These are better than the two-tone helmets, but I like their current getups the best.
--- ROUND 4 ---
4.25. Cardinals (2023 Red Alternates)
The Cardinals will have new uniforms this season, but they broke out an alternate black with red flake alternate helmet last season. It’s not bad, but I’m still privy to the old-school 1970-80s uniforms from the Neil Lomax and Roy Green era.
4.26. 49ers (1950s White Throwbacks)
The Niners wore all-white uniforms last season, which honors their 1955 jerseys. I’m just not a fan of the overall look, though, and much prefer their 1980s Joe Montana and Jerry Rice era red uniforms with white numbers and gold pants.
4.27. Ravens (1990s Purple Throwbacks)
The Ravens don’t have an alternate or throwback uniform per se, so I went back to their original getups from the 90s with the “Winged B” on the side of the helmet. The original uniforms included black pants that didn’t look all that great.
4.28. Commanders (2022 Black Alternates)
The Commanders introduced three uniforms last season, including an alternate that has a black helmet with the player’s number on the side. None of the trio are all that great, and all of these current getups pale in comparison to their past.
4.29. Lions (2023 Blue Alternates)
The Lions new helmet colors are actually nice, but the old logo from the 1940-60s looks like it was drawn by a grade-schooler. They’ll wear them with gray uniforms in games against the Raiders and the regular-season finale vs. the Vikings.
4.30. Colts (2023 Blue Alternates)
The Colts revealed their “Indiana Nights” uniforms this year, which feature a black helmet and heathered blue uniform. While I don’t mind the helmets, the uniforms just don’t do it for me. Give me the old 1970s Colts uniforms over these!
