Throughout the long history of the NFL, there have been many different uniform combinations. At this point in time, almost every team has an alternate uniform, and some of them are very aesthetically pleasing, while others are a bit of an eye-sore. Let's examine the five best in the league, and also look at five that should never be worn again.
NFL uniforms have gone through a lot of transformation over the years. Many NFL teams have changed their uniforms several times throughout their histories, which has created a lot of potential for alternate uniforms nowadays . With that said, there are also a couple of teams who have stayed true to themselves throughout their histories, with little change to their designs.
Some of these uniforms are very pleasing to see in action, and they provide a unique compliment to their normal looks. However, some of these alternates should never see the light of day again. Let's take a peek at the five best alternate uniforms that teams should consider making their permanent threads, and five alternates that should be burned immediately.
Here's a very debatable topic: How do fans rank the 32 NFL teams based on alternate uniform? 1 Should Be Permanent - Chargers' Dark Blue Alternates While the Los Angeles Chargers haven't been one of the winningest franchises in history, they've consistently been one of the best-dressed. Los Angeles has worn many different shades of blue before, and they even used to wear a very dark shade during the 2000s and early 2010s. One of their alternates are their 'color rush' uniforms, which are pictured above.
While their normal, light blue uniforms compliment the yellow well, these might be an even better pairing. The bright yellow contrasts with the dark blue perfectly, and the yellow lightning bolt is a nice touch on the shoulders as well. These uniforms impress every time Los Angeles brings them out, and at this point, they should make them permanent.
Los Angeles currently has a lighter blue home uniform with more of a powder blue look, which is stunning as well. 2 Shouldn't Be Worn Again - Commanders' Black Alternates Now, the Washington Commanders might deserve a bit of grace here. They've gone through a lot of change over the past couple of years, with their name and identity as a whole being renovated, as well as the fact that they've undergone an ownership change recently.
To be fair to them, their home and road uniforms aren't too bad themselves. However, their black home alternates do leave a little bit to be desired. Black alternates have been a common theme throughout most professional sports leagues over the past couple of decades, but these feel like they were made black just for the sake of being black.
They don't have much of an identity to them, and Washington should scrap them and design a new alternate. 3 Should Be Permanent - Raiders' Road Alternates This is a uniform the Las Vegas Raiders don't bring out very often, but when they do, it never disappoints. They only wear these for big games, and they usually wear them on the road.
The last time Las Vegas wore these was during their shocking Christmas Day upset win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023. While the Raiders get a lot of flack for their lack of success recently, one area they do gain some respect for is in their uniforms. Their iconic, simple silver and black designs have remained consistent throughout their history, and have been one of the most iconic designs in all sports .
4 Shouldn't Be Worn Again - Seahawks' 'Action Green' Alternates The 'color rush' era certainly was an interesting time in the league. In the late 2010s, the league adopted these uniforms, which were usually worn for Thursday night games, and featured one color for each team throughout their uniforms from jerseys to socks. GIVEMESPORT Key Stat: The 'Color Rush' uniform promotion was officially discontinued after the 2018 season, but the Seahawks are one of the few teams in the league to still wear them.
The only other teams that still rock the alternates are the Bills, Browns, Cowboys, Steelers and Chargers. The Seattle Seahawks got these extremely bright alternates, and they've kept them ever since. Seattle actually does have some beautiful throwback uniforms that would look much better than these neon green alternates that could probably be seen from outer space.
5 Should Be Permanent - Vikings' 'Winter Warrior' Alternates The Minnesota Vikings ' unveiled these uniforms this offseason , so they haven't actually been worn on the field yet. However, just off the first glance, these threads are so clean we can confidently say they should be made permanent. Since they're all white, these will likely be worn on the road.
These are one of the early examples of alternate uniforms that include an alternate helmet since the rule was changed recently, so styles like this could be something that becomes more common across the NFL. With multiple teams updating their uniforms this offseason, where do they rank amongst the best in the NFL? 6 Shouldn't Be Worn - Giants' 'Century Red' Alternates Similar to the Vikings, the New York Giants haven't even worn these jerseys yet, as they were recently unveiled this summer. However, they should probably just not wear them at all.
Now, these jerseys do have some historical value. Each element of them has some significance through the 100-year history of the franchise, hence the name 'Century Red'. However, as soon as they were revealed, they got horrible reviews.
At the end of the day, while there is historical significance for these, they simply don't look good. In fact, one would be forgiven for thinking these are knockoffs of the jerseys worn by the CFL's Montreal Alouettes. 7 Should Be Permanent - Eagles' 'Kelly Green' Alternates The Philadelphia Eagles wore these uniforms for most of their history, up until the late 1990s.
It was then that they adjusted their appearance, and these ended up getting sent to the vault. However, in recent years, Philadelphia has brought them back, and they look amazing. Kelly green is a very aesthetic look, so it's hard to go wrong with these.
Since Philadelphia wore these for so long, whenever they bring them out nowadays there's a bit of nostalgia. Overall, these are just simple, clean throwbacks that work well. The Eagles should make these permanent home uniforms once again.
8 Shouldn't Be Worn Again - Steelers' Striped Alternates Now, apart from this jersey, the Pittsburgh Steelers do pretty well for themselves in terms of their uniforms. They're one of the most iconic franchises in the league for a reason, and a large part of that is due to how well their home and road uniforms are perceived. However, they should never wear this alternate again.
They don't really bring it out very much anymore, as it has largely been replaced by their much more pleasing color rush look. While these have nostalgic value, there isn't a lot to be happy about them, especially considering they look like something you'd see in an old jailhouse movie. 9 Should Be Permanent - Buccaneers' 'Creamsicle' Alternates © Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports A long time ago, before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers switched things to their red and pewter designs, their uniforms looked very different.
Tampa Bay used to have orange as their primary color, which included these beautiful 'Creamsicle' home uniforms, widely considered one of the best throwback pieces in the league . The Buccaneers still don these throwbacks every once in a while, and when they do, they always look magnificent. These bring a type of nostalgia similar to that of the Eagles' 'Kelly Green' look, and they're always a hit with fans.
Their road uniforms, which were white with the same shade of orange, were beautiful as well. Next time Tampa Bay decides to switch things up, they should revert to their old color scheme. 10 Shouldn't Be Worn Again - Rams 'Bone' Alternate A couple of seasons ago, the Los Angeles Rams switched up their uniforms.
When they first moved back to Los Angeles, they had a pretty nice combo. However, around the same time they moved into SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles unveiled some new designs. One of those designs was their 'Bone' alternate, which is pictured above.
This uniform is a road alternate, although they sometimes take them out for home games as well. The uniform looks white, but it's a slightly darker shade. It's not horrible, but there doesn't seem to be a point.
They already have a white appearance, and considering their color scheme, there are several other possible options for an alternate. The 'bone' style feels like they're trying too hard to adopt a white alternate, and they should look into developing a more blue or yellow alternate instead. All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.
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