The NFL Season just wrapped up and while many will move onto free agency, I want to look at the uniforms of all 32 teams. Over the next month I’ll look at eight teams and review their jersey’s from the 2023-24 season and crown a winner. Helmets, main and alternate uniforms, and logos will be judged. At the end, the winner of each of the four brackets will go head-to-head until only one team remains.
When the Seahawks revealed those beautiful ’80s alternate throwbacks this year, it made me even more disappointed in their current design. Seattle went for a hyper-modernization look that just screams 2012 and reminds me of a jersey era I’d like to forget. The wrapping paper design on the helmet is an interesting idea on paper but does not work on the field. The same goes for the electrical tape shoulder striping. Surprisingly, I do not hate the all-gray alternate; however the same cannot be said for the neon green uniform.
What I would fix: There is no team that could pull off the modern throwback redesign more than the Seahawks. Add the royal green and silver to the modern logo and you have an absolute beauty.
The Cardinals sport the newest uniforms in the NFL, and they have had mixed approval. I am a defender of the new redesign, for the most part. The icy white and blackout uniforms are some of the best in the league, even if they look like an Ohio State rip-off. The problem lies with the all-red home uniform. The big gray “Arizona” text is unnecessary, and wearing a plain red jersey with plain red pants adds no contrast.
What I would fix: Get rid of the front text on the homes, and pair white pants with the red jersey.
When I think of the perfect NFL design, I picture the 49ers’ gold helmets gleaming under the lights. The Niners’ red and gold is a timeless classic, and every uniform combo they wear is amazing. Between the main uniforms, and the throwbacks, there is not a flaw I can find.
While I think the aways are their best look, the home red over gold is no slouch either.
What I would fix: Nothing can be fixed, and nothing should be.
The Rams are an incredibly hard team to judge stylistically. While the blue and yellow jerseys look amazing, some design choices that were made still baffle me. The gradient numbers featured on the home look terrible (any gradient does, I don’t know why this is a trend) and the weird gel outline on the numbers is off-putting. And I can’t overlook the abomination that is the bone-colored jerseys.
As much as the Rams do wrong stylistically, they also do a lot right. The broken horn design on the helmet looks great and is a fantastic example of how to modernize a classic look. And the road white uniform may be one of the best in the NFL.
What I would fix: Like previously stated, get rid of the gradient numbers. And if the bone jerseys must stay, at least wear blue pants to provide some sort of contrast.
The Lions’ color way of Honolulu blue and silver may be a top-ten combination in the league. Unfortunately, some questionable design choices hurt Detroit’s ranking. The Lions feature three bodysuits, the worst of which being the all-gray. Then, as if they couldn’t make that uniform any worse, they added a blue helmet to it this year as a throwback design. In a year of amazing throwbacks, Detroit’s was far and away the worst.
Other than the throwbacks, choices like wearing white practice pants that look like came straight from Dick’s sporting goods, and a weird font hurt the Lions.
What I would fix: Instead of solid gray numbers on the home, change it to white with a grey border. Then throw out the weird font and just use block lettering. Finally, if you’re going to wear white pants, put striping on the sides.
The Vikings are a strange team to rank in terms of style. Before starting this, I really thought they had great uniforms. But upon further inspection, there are some flaws. For starters, who decided the numbers should be two different fonts? Either both numbers need to have sharp points, or neither of them do. I like the idea they were going for, but playing this half-and-half game with it is infuriating.
Minnesota did debut some solid throwbacks this year. However, the helmet and jersey being two different shades of purple is off-putting.
What I would fix: Throwing the yellow and white stripes featured on the throwbacks on the modern uniform would look incredible. Block lettering would look better than the current font.
Classic is the only way to describe the Bears uniforms. The home navy and the away whites look timeless, and the three-stripe throwback continues to be an underrated jersey. The bears also seem to be embracing the orange bear head logo more this year, which is a good decision.
The problem for the Bears is the eyesore that is the orange alternates. The Bears should have never paired an orange helmet with an orange jersey. In fact, they never should have made an orange helmet in the first place.
What I would fix: Chicago, an Icy White “Polar Bear” jersey with a white helmet was right there. Look at how good the Browns’ white alternate looks. The orange bear head logo on the white helmet instead of the “C” will look better.
Green and yellow has no right to look this good together, but the Packers managed to pull it off. The logo is simple, yet effective, and the uniforms pop off the TV screen (especially at night). While I’m not a big fan of the all green throwbacks, I can appreciate the history behind them.
What I would fix: Wear the all white uniforms a little more often. Other than that, not much else to fix.
Winner:
Pitting the 49ers against these other uniforms is unfair. While Green Bay and Chicago come close, the few flaws their designs have cost them a win here. San Francisco is a truly flawless design, and they will move into the top four.
Ryan States is in his 3rd year at Lock Haven University, and his second with the Eagle Eye. He is a Journalism major with intentions to minor in Sports Management. With his never-ending passion for all things sports, he wishes to pursue a career as a sports writer for a major outlet. When not watching sports, he can be found playing video games, hanging out with friends at the REC. Or you can find him helping out in the booth during LHU sporting events. His biggest hope while at Lock Haven is to be able to positively contribute to LHU sports in any way he can.
