In a 24/7 news cycle that even engulfs the wide world of sports, every tiny nuance gets broken down. Examined. Picked apart. No matter how mundane. Worse yet, we live in a zero-sum reality where every difference has to be ranked. Winners and losers are chosen.
With social media acting like a mini-camera crew we take with us everywhere, our collective over-inflated egos have turned us all into onsite reporters and editorialists. So with that in mind, of course, I had to write a whole article ranking, commentating, and breaking down the new NFL uniforms for 2023. Because, if I don’t then who will? Well, likely somewhere around 63 other individuals with just as much expertise on the subject as myself. Which is to say, none.
But I wanted to take a break from my typical fantasy football analysis. My deep dive into numbers and metrics without even attaching players’ names to them so I avoid biases. I can finally close all of my spreadsheets and graphs, and just look at pretty pictures and share my opinions. So buckle butter cup, because I’m taking you on a wild ride through NFL fashion.
Let’s get right into it, Ranking the New NFL Uniforms for 2023.
No. 9 The New York Jets – Throwbacks
The New York Jets are one among many, who are unveiling “new” throwback uniforms this season. They announced that they would be wearing their Legacy White throwbacks in Week 1 and Week 4.
These throwbacks pay homage to the 1979-89 teams that wore white jerseys with two stripes, white pants with one stripe, and their green Jets helmets. Historical NFL buffs will remember those teams as the New York “Sack Exchange”.
Alas, that team nickname is way better than these uniforms, and why I have them at the bottom of my rankings. The look is barely different than their current away uniforms which are white jerseys but with only one stripe, green pants, and the regular Jets green helmet. So they essentially just changed the number of stripes on the shoulders and got matching pants… neat.
After last year’s “Stealth Mode” all-black alternates, this announcement was a pretty big letdown. Like most things New York Jets related.
No. 8 The Minnesota Vikings – Throwbacks
The Minnesota Vikings joined in on the throwback bandwagon and are debuting them, like the Jets, in Week 1. Alas, also akin to the Jets, there’s not really much of a difference with their throwbacks compared to their regular uniforms.
According to the team PR machine, they “pay homage to the team’s earlier voyages with deeper purple and larger gold-trimmed numbers than the modern jersey, as well as retro sleeve stripes.” Although my 20/20 vision was unable to discern the difference in the subtle shades of purple between the two. The pants’ stripes are also more symmetrical than their current versions. Additionally, the helmets include a vintage horn and gray facemask. The old-school horns are longer than their current counterparts.
I actually like these throwbacks better than their current standard uniform. But were it not for the announcement, I don’t think I would have even realized the differences when watching the game Week 1 as they’re just too subtle to get overhyped.
No. 7 The Carolina Panthers – Color Change
The Carolina Panthers’ “new” uniforms aren’t anything to get overly excited about in my opinion. Sure the shade of blue is slightly different. But I mean, slightly. But the biggest change is just the alternate black helmet… Oh no, wait, they already used the black helmet with alternate uniforms in past seasons. Okay, well there are new black pants… Oh wait, that’s right, those same alternate uniforms were all black. So they also already had pants too.
This is essentially a throwback to Madden 2000-something when you could mix and match pants, jerseys, and helmets from the home, away, and alternate uniforms loaded into the system. It’s nothing new. Just a new combination of what has already been.
I like it. I think it’s a better combo and a more modern look. But in the end, it’s nothing breathtaking or even original.
No. 6 The Arizona Cardinals – Actual New Uniforms
The Arizona Cardinals announced their three-pack of new Home, Away, and Alternate uniforms that they’ll be scampering around in for the 2023 season. This is the first time since 2005 that the franchise has updated its look.
In an off-season marked by change for Arizona, the Cardinals opted for a makeover featuring a simple, clean, and ultimately fresh take on the Arizona look. Their new home uniform features an all-red ensemble, whose shade comes across as almost metallic. They feature “protect the nest” stitched into the collar and “Arizona” emblazoned across the chest.
The away version is a similar, but all-white design. And their alternates are all black. Both change up the collar message to “bird gang” and drop the chest declaration of their home state.
Ultimately, I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews online from their announcement. Folks seem to either love them or hate them. And that seems to be reflected in their ranking of sixth on this list. They’re not the best. But they’re not the worst by any means either.
No. 5 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Throwbacks
Just for preferential treatment from my editor, who is a long-time Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, I thought about ranking the “Creamsicle” throwbacks at No. 1 just to see if I’d get this article as “featured” on our home page for longer than usual. But ultimately, the devoutly principled journo in me had to drop them back to fifth.
First off, let me just say, that I appreciate the history of these, and the Bucs throwbacks, unlike the other ones already mentioned, are truly different than their modern counterparts. The last time we saw the orange tops was back in 2012, so over a decade ago. But after that season an NFL rule limited teams to the use of only one helmet for each player that season. And let’s be real, without the Bucco Bruce logo, it really didn’t seem fitting to bring them back again.
That helmet rule has since been updated, paving the way for a uniform combination of orange and white that pays homage to the first two decades, 1976-96, of the teams’ history.
However, there’s a reason this shade of orange didn’t follow us into contemporary times. And somehow the white just makes the orange scream “DATED and OLD!”
I remember watching that game back in 2012 when these were featured. I turned to my buddy watching football with me at the bar in LA (which you can only do in your early to mid-twenties since games kickoff at breakfast on the West Coast) and said “This game is legitimately hurting my eyes.”
It’s bold. It’s a true throwback. But some things are better left in the 70s. Check out where these uniforms ranked in our Top 10 Best NFL Jerseys of All Time.
No.4 The Philadelphia Eagles – Throwbacks
The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they’re bringing back their Kelly Green throwbacks many of us 90s kids remember. And sure enough, seeing these images reminded me of highlights of Randall Cunningham and Reggie White (pre-Packers) I’d catch on my tube TV that had a turn dial to change the channel.
These uniforms feature, not only kelly green as their primary color backdrop (or else they wouldn’t have made it this high up the rankings), but also the old-school white eagle embroidered on the shoulders. It’s complimented with white numbers that pop a little extra thanks to black trim, on the front, back, and shoulder pads.
The pants are a light gray patterned with kelly green, white, and black striping down the leg. The promo photos also show players wearing white cleats with old-school high white socks that include the Kelly green, white, and black striping as well.
But the piece de resistance for me was the throwback Kelly green helmet featuring the eagle wings in silver with white trim prominently on the sides of the helmet. That helmet design is what I remember the most about that era of football.
No.3 The Seattle Seahawks – Throwbacks
If you haven’t caught on yet, throwbacks are trendy this offseason. And the Seattle Seahawks weren’t going to be outdone in that department. With a pretty rad video featuring rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba walking through a series of 90s nostalgia with an appropriate grunge soundtrack playing in the background, the Seattle Seahawks announced their 90s throwbacks in grand fashion.
The whole idea appears to be kicked off, again, by the rule change allowing teams to incorporate alternate helmets. The throwback helmet will be exactly like we all remember from the 90s. Silver with the Salish-styled Seahawk emblazoned on the side in the traditional royal blue and apple green, along with a matching royal blue facemask.
For the uniform itself, the jersey features the original old royal and apple green with oversized numbers and the original Seahawks logo. The pants will be a cool grey with thick apple-green stripes surrounding a thinner blue stripe. The promo photos showed the players wearing matching blue socks & white cleats that share the same blue and green accents.
It’s a crisp, clean, modern take on an old-school classic and it gives me all the feels.
No.2 The Indianapolis Colts – Alternates
The Indianapolis Colts unveiled their “Indiana Nights” alternate uniforms that will be worn at home, in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns. And I LOVE THEM.
Considering I can’t remember the last time the Colts made any serious alterations to their look, in my lifetime, means they were well past due for shaking things up. And they went big, which I really respect. They tout their black helmet as “the first of its kind in Colts history”. And sure, they have never done that as a franchise before, but at this point, they might be the only team that hadn’t yet.
But the big piece to me is going all in on their Colts blue, with matching jersey and pants. But re-imagining it with a heathered pattern, which no other team in the NFL has done before. It gives the whole look a bit of a matte bespeckled look that I couldn’t quite place until I saw the close-up shots of the jerseys. I imagine it’s supposed to mimic the lights of their city at night. But I’ll let the designers go down that esoteric road.
The numbers are a bright white with black trim. Additionally, both the shoulders and pants have the classic Colts stripes in white.
No. 1 The Tennessee Titans – Throwbacks
While the other throwbacks on this list try to get their fanbase all nostalgic by tugging on memory strands of watching their hometown football team when they were younger. The Tennessee Titans decided to go a different route. They seem to be courting disgruntled Texans fans by paying homage to the Houston Oilers uniforms from the 1980-90s.
The Oilers franchise moved from Houston to Tennessee in 1997, and in 1999 dropped the Oilers name and did a full franchise overhaul emerging from their offseason cocoon as the Tennessee Titans we all now know.
This modern classic is a beautiful powder blue jersey with white numbers surrounded by a red trim. The sleeve stripes will be red, powder blue, and red, with white in between the outer and inner stripes. And what really pops in the promo video is the matching red full sleeves, for the players who choose to wear them, like star running back Derrick Henry. The white pants have striping that matches the jersey and powder blue socks, featuring the same striping pattern.
And again, what sets this look over the top is the alternate helmet. It’s a white helmet with a red face mask, a striping pattern to match the rest of the ensemble, and the trademark blue oil derrick outlined in red.
Unlike the creamsicle orange, which is an offense to the eyes, the powder blue of these uniforms is cool and crisp. This color scheme makes me wonder why it ever went by the wayside. The good news is the Titans announced they’ll be wearing them for two home games this season. The chaos agent in me hopes that one of those happens to be against the Houston Texans.
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