With full-blown training camp practices still a few weeks away, the NFL is enjoying what should be the laziest portion of its calendar.
But talking about America’s most popular sports league never goes out of fashion – even if you simply want to talk about its fashion. And while none of the 32 teams unveiled a significant uniform overhaul for 2025 – the Commanders did reveal a new alternate Tuesday morning and some other teams will follow suit in the coming days − that doesn’t mean you won’t see some fresh originality this season.
Not only will the league allow clubs to wear alternate or throwback uniforms from their “closet” (“kits” are for soccer, football fashionistas) up to four times this season – previously, the max utilization was three times per year – restrictions that previously prevented them from combining alternate helmets with classic uniforms are being loosened. For example, we might now see the Bengals’ white tiger helmet worn with their black jerseys, a combo heretofore verboten.
There’s more.
Nike is launching “Rivalries” uniforms and gear this year for AFC East and NFC West teams. And while details are currently under lock and key, USA TODAY Sports has learned it would be accurate to say the new threads will generally be adjacent to the NBA’s popular “City Edition” uniforms or Major League Baseball’s “City Connect” jerseys. Along with the uniform, the “Rivalries” look will also mean another helmet in the closet for those eight teams in 2025 and the following three years, according to a person familiar with the rollout. That person requested anonymity given the NFL’s and Nike’s desire for secrecy around the unis ahead of their launch.
Per the NFL, “Each participating team will wear a unique Rivalries uniform with designs rooted extensively in local community insights during a single home game against a division rival. The designs have been brought to life by pulling inspiration from the history of each market and the aspects of the community that only that team’s city embodies.”
The other 24 teams will incrementally be added in groups of eight to the program through the 2028 season.
USA TODAY Sports will bring you more on this front in the coming weeks and looks forward to reviewing and assessing the new looks. But the July interlude seemed like a good time to roll out our annual uniform power rankings, listed from worst to best (previous rank in parentheses):
32. Cleveland Browns (30)
The hardest-core purists will disagree … and I suspect most of them live in northeast Ohio. But the colors are ugly, and the logo-less uniforms are boring. Full stop. And unless the soon-to-be-revealed alternate helmet features the Dawg Pound insignia fans and players picked two years ago − and fat chance of that − then why bother?
31. Carolina Panthers (31)
Not only do they look outdated, as most 1990s get-ups do, the Panthers just can’t stop tinkering – literally using 10 different uniform combinations in 2024. Talk about a lack of identity. Interesting fact about the logo: it’s meant to resemble the fused outline of North and South Carolina. It also looks better recessed like a shadow into the team’s alternate black helmets – Panthers thrive with camouflage, y’all. Otherwise? Keep the color scheme but reimagine everything below the neckline.
30. Washington Commanders (32)
Been a turbulent few years, the franchise mothballing its long-worn uniforms – which it was finally compelled to do – in favor of the barebones “Washington Football Team” interim versions and then the semi-disastrous rollout of the Commanders rebranding. The current road jerseys with the gradient numbering remain eyesores. The original black Commanders alternates are pretty slick, the D.C. flag on the sleeves a nice detail, but many fans think it’s too similar to the Steelers. Personally, I’ve never minded that the franchise retained its traditional colors, including the return of gold pants in 2024, to keep some linkage to its glory days − though some believe it would have been best to make a complete break from its 87-year run using a nickname that’s defined as a racial slur.
Little chance of such a pivot now, the team essentially readopting the uniforms from its glory years Wednesday. The only noticeable difference in the new alternates, which resemble what the team wore in its four Super Bowl appearances between the 1982 and ’91 seasons is the current Commanders ‘W’ logo standing in for the former Indian head insignia.
29. Tennessee Titans (23)
While teams like the Panthers are something of a mess, the Titans seem to at least understand less is more – though even that’s problematic to a degree. They wore seven combinations in 2024, most notably the glorious Houston Oilers throwbacks, but had several more permutations at their disposal. However the Oilers unis won’t come out of the closet this season – yes, the Titans left Texas in 1997 and took their branding with them – and “Titans Blue” will become the primary home color (instead of navy). The whole thing is probably moot given a major redesign seems to be coming in 2026.
28. New England Patriots (29)
I’d venture most NFL fans – and certainly those in the Boston market – would like to see them go back to “Pat Patriot” full time and relegate the “Flying Elvis” logo to the Tom Brady era, though the slightly more understated contemporary version is preferable to the one TB12 wore. The Pats’ “Rivalries” unis have a chance to be distinctive given the wealth of American history that’s occurred in the region.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (27)
Though now well past that disastrous two-tone gold and black helmet, they suffer – to a lesser degree – from the same issues as the Panthers, whom the Jags entered the NFL with in 1995. Jacksonville had eight separate uniform combinations last season, adding a white helmet to their closet … for whatever reason. The addition of the “Prowler Throwbacks,” a nod to the club’s early years was nice. Suggestion: what might make the contemporary unis nicer would be a little feline spotting as part of the striping pattern.
26. Arizona Cardinals (26)
They swung the pendulum from excessively busy uniforms to fairly boring ones two years ago – though low key is definitely the preferable side of that spectrum. Admittedly, there’s only so much creative space when you’re stuck with a non-threatening bird that subsists on insects and (non-playoff) seeds as your mascot – yet it’s worth noting the St. Louis Cardinals have long been one of MLB’s best-looking squads. Here’s hoping the football Cards’ “Rivalries” look has some kind of nod to former DB Pat Tillman nearly a quarter-century after he played his final game for the club.
25. Baltimore Ravens (28)
I’ve long contended they look like bruises – which is somehow apropos given the tough guy football identity this franchise has almost always had. And when you’re mainly adorned in black and purple, that’s going to happen. The Maryland flag baked into the shoulder crest remains the best detail. And give them credit for trying the “Purple Rising” look last season, which featured a forward-facing bird on the helmet. But meh.
24. Atlanta Falcons (25)
They just about nailed it at their inception point in 1966 – uniforms that now serve as their throwbacks – featuring their best logo and the red, black, white and gold color combination that served as a dual tip of the cap to the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. In later years, they tried silver pants and then black helmets – and it’s fair to say anything Deion Sanders wore in his five-year stint (1989-1993), including the Jerry Glanville and MC Hammer days, would look awesome now. But the Falcons have been steadily degrading with a pair of ugly rebrands this century – though, thankfully, their gradient “ATL” jerseys haven’t been seen since 2022. Though, more amazingly, the team hasn’t worn red ones of any kind since 2019. It’s high time the Falcons got back to basics in a more permanent way.
23. New York Giants (19)
Thankfully their 100th season is over … and we won’t have to see those ancient throwbacks featuring Montreal Canadiens jerseys paired with khaki-colored pants, which they wore (just once) last season. Their 1980s retro uniform remains their best look, and the bland red-and-white roadies (which inexplicably lack any blue notes) remain problematic.
22. Miami Dolphins (20)
The aqua and orange is distinctly South Florida, though the dolphin logo introduced in 2013 – time flies, right? – has never eclipsed its forebear, the aquatic mammal wearing the white helmet adorned with an orange “M.” Who knows what their “Rivalries” look will entail, but I’d venture something akin to a “Miami Vice” or “Vice City” theme would be wicked. The current avatar on the Dolphins’ X account provides reason to hope.
21. Denver Broncos (24)
They retooled behind center in 2024 with the arrival of rookie QB Bo Nix and retooled their look, too. And while Nix was pretty much an unqualified success, the jury remains out on the unis – which are better than the previous iteration and attempt to incorporate Colorado charm, prevalent triangular “summit markers” on the jersey and back of helmet plus “5280” to reference the number of feet the Mile High City is above sea level. Another team determined to work a white helmet shell into its rotation, here’s hoping the Broncos make more use of the 1977 “Orange Crush” throwbacks they rocked twice last season.
20. Chicago Bears (21)
Classic, traditional and lacking flash … their fantastic suite of socks notwithstanding. The “GSH” on the sleeve has always been a nice touch honoring founder George Halas. The alternate orange helmets look like pumpkins but maybe they’ll only appear half as bad now that they can be worn with the navy jerseys. More monochromatic combinations might help – Chicago hasn’t gone white on white, which takes you back to Walter Payton’s heyday, since 2009. And it would be especially nice if a team that likes to use the Michigan-esque throwbacks instead went with a white ‘C’ on the helmet in a nod to the Halas-Butkus-Sayers days.
19. Detroit Lions (18)
The altered number fonts and uniform striping last season were upgrades. And who’s to say if the all-black alternates coach Dan Campbell wanted back helped the NFC North champs to a franchise record 15 regular-season wins? Shame, though, that they didn’t keep the “Honolulu Blue” helmet with the throwback logo and Ford Mustang striping used to celebrate the club’s 90th season in 2023. Gone, too, are the “WCF” initials on the sleeve that honored former owner William Clay Ford – perhaps apropos given he didn’t win championships like Halas did.
18. Buffalo Bills (17)
Not sure how you responsibly incorporate “Mafia” into the “Rivalries” uniform, but Nike can doubtless figure it out. (And, please, don’t be tempted by buffalo wings.) Still, some flair doesn’t hurt here. The charging buffalo logo is nifty, yet it’s a bummer that the AFL-era grazing buffalo hasn’t made an appearance in four years. The Bills seem pretty content to wear their conservative blue jerseys and white pants (or the inverse) as often as possible.
17. Green Bay Packers (11)
One of the league’s oldest teams has remained pretty firmly rooted in tradition – rarely making changes to its classic look since the 1960s, when it was perhaps the greatest dynasty in NFL history. But the Pack has sported a nice green-over-green alternate since 2021 and introduced an all-white (helmet included) “Winter Warning” look in 2024. (Sigh.) Maybe the new throwbacks that are coming this year, per Sportslogos.net, will somehow spice things up a bit more … though spice isn’t usually part of this brand’s formula.
16. Houston Texans (14)
It tracks that the NFL’s youngest team – the Texans are entering their 24th season – is the only one to never change its primary helmet logo, the bull’s head featuring the design of the Texas state flag an underrated one. And whether or not you liked the results, give Houston credit for taking a big swing last year by tweaking its primary home and road uniforms while rolling out two drastically reimagined alternates for their closet. Again, here’s hoping the oh-so-sweet Oilers uniforms get returned to Houston at some point.
15. Los Angeles Rams (22)
We owe them a debt as their iconic horns became the first logo to adorn an NFL helmet back in 1948 – and the modern iteration has settled in even if there was never much reason to mess with it. However the remainder of their present look is a mixed bag. The new-ish roadies have allowed the Rams to move away from the “bone” uniforms initially intended for that role – but LA only wore them twice in 2024. And the gradient jersey numbers on the blue home jerseys have got to go. Given the civic history, their “Rivalries” look could go any number of ways – but hopefully it truly smacks of Los Angeles, as some of the Clippers’ alternates have in recent years. And throwbacks would be nice, preferably navy jerseys and helmets with white ram horns. Do it for Deacon Jones.
14. Kansas City Chiefs (15)
They’ve long sported a classic look, crowned by the interlocking “KC” in the arrowhead helmet logo … and that’s about it. And, hey, it’s certainly been working for them in recent years, and it’s not like it makes sense to wear their Dallas Texans uniforms from the 1960s. Their somewhat problematic team name also limits their creative space. Still, feels like there’s some room for variance, but owner Clark Hunt hasn’t been open to it. And, heck, maybe he’s right. No one’s begging for gold pants or jerseys here for the only team in the league without an alternate or throwback option.
13. San Francisco 49ers (16)
They’ve long sported a classic look, crowned by the interlocking “SF” in the helmet logo, and even their throwbacks tend not to deviate much. Even their black alternates have been mothballed since a three-year trial apparently ended following the 2017 season. (But at least San Francisco tries new things, so we’ll give them the nod over the Chiefs … for once.) Here’s hoping the Niners are willing to go a little further afield with this year’s “Rivalries” unis – we’d definitely be down for a helmet featuring the Golden Gate Bridge and/or Alcatraz … even if the team now lives in Silicon Valley (no microchips, please). However, they seem to be teasing some fundamental changes that pay homage to Northern California, 19th century western history and possibly more utilization of the gold palette and introduction of cream-colored elements.
12. Dallas Cowboys (13)
Love them or hate them, the league’s most visible club sports an iconic, clean look. “America’s Team” has traditionally worn white at home for decades, legendary former team president Tex Schramm wanting his home fans to experience different color visuals provided by visiting teams wearing their traditional home jerseys. White also kept the Cowboys a bit cooler in Texas’ heat. Personally, I always thought their dark blue jerseys looked better, but they also evidently bring bad luck – a theory floated long before the club’s current three-decade Super Bowl drought. Their pair of alternate white helmets and throwback look has never been especially inspiring. The coolest thing the Cowboys do is add a red stripe to their helmet in recent years during the NFL’s Salute to Service program, a touch used to honor the military, veterans and Medal of Honor winners. (Prior to 2021, the red stripe was only worn during the 1976 season, which coincided with America’s bicentennial celebration.)
11. Indianapolis Colts (12)
If ever there was a team that should just stick to its basic uniform, it might be this one – and the Colts, signature helmet horseshoe and all – have largely done exactly that. Even they seem to know it, breaking out their “Indiana Nights” alternates with the ugly black helmet just once each of the past two seasons – naturally for 1 p.m. ET kickoffs.
10. New York Jets (10)
They finally (and wisely) adopted their 1980s look as their primary uniform last season … for all the good it did Aaron Rodgers and Co. Their Super Bowl 3 era throwbacks and all-black alternates with the black helmet are generally fine, if not home runs. Hard to say what Nike will draw upon when designing the Jets’ “Rivalries” look for this season, but there does seem to be an opportunity for some kind of exhilarating “Top Gun” type of treatment – especially given how staid the Giants tend to be – particularly given New York’s annual Fleet Week celebration. A unique “Rivalries” design for the helmet would mark the Jets’ sixth different-looking crown over a three-season span.
9. Minnesota Vikings (9)
The horns they’ve sported on their helmets since the franchise’s inaugural season in 1961 have long been one of the league’s slickest logos. Their current uniform has another nice Norse touch with the sleeve stripes that evoke the image of a Viking longboat. The club further embraced its Scandinavian – which is to say local – heritage be debuting its all-white “Winter Warrior” duds in 2024, a nice way to imply snow given the Vikings have rarely played outdoor home games since vacating Metropolitan Stadium after the 1981 season.
8. Cincinnati Bengals (8)
They earned beaucoup points (and their first Super Bowl berth) in 1981 when they stopped looking like Browns knock-offs – gross – and literally changed their stripes. They’ve unnecessarily monkeyed with the jerseys and pants over the years and last season’s monochrome orange debut … nah. But the primary uniform is in a good place, and the white tiger alternates are as good as anyone’s – though that helmet doesn’t actually need to suddenly be mixed into other combinations.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7)
One must be careful before conferring too much credit on the 1970s and ‘80s Bucs – remember, starting in 1976, this was an organization that lost its first 26 games. But if you were a kid who grew up drawing NFL logos when you got bored in class, then you know “Bucco Bruce” had some swag and offered a much more satisfying challenge than the Bears or Packers, for examples, offered up. And the “Florida Orange,” aka “Creamsicle,” brought a unique dash to the league, even if you wouldn’t be caught dead in it. After an absence of more than a decade due to since-relaxed helmet rules, the Creamsicles have been back since 2023, and the road version is apparent set to return this season, the club’s 50th. Yet the less-celebrated aspect of the Buccaneers is that they, like their expansion brethren Seahawks, have evolved so nicely over the years − the digital alarm clock number fonts and messy unis worn from 2014-19 the notable exception. If only the Panthers and Jags, who appeared two decades later, could say the same.
6. Seattle Seahawks (5)
I’ve long considered them the recipients of Nike’s best rebrand – and (coincidentally or not) the ‘Hawks have basically been a near-perennial contender since debuting their current look in 2012. And, given the franchise’s relative youth – Seattle is also about to embark on its 50th season – why not be something akin to the NFL version of the University of Oregon? And even if you don’t like the updated osprey totem logo or feathers on the pants, collars and subtly tapering down the centerline of the helmet, almost everyone can agree that the return of the Seahawks’ original uniforms – largely at the expense of their highlighter green alternates – is another huge win. The white roadies the team wore for most of the 1980s and ‘90s are also returning in 2025, per SportsLogos.net. And don’t be surprised if their “Rivalries” presentation – whether it includes the Space Needle, coffee beans, Sasquatch, the Pacific Northwest wilderness, a Pearl Jam tribute or whatever else – is likely to be bold and maybe polarizing, which is just fine for this kind of uniform treatment. (But let’s not bring back the mess of blue-ish hues the team used when it first moved into Lumen Field in 2002.)
5. New Orleans Saints (4)
They’ve got all the ingredients. Few colors are better paired than black and gold, though the deeper “Old Gold” the team favored in yesteryear might be a touch preferable to the lighter, contemporary shade. Few teams can boast a logo better civically intertwined than the Saints’ fleur-de-lis, which looks especially cool running down the center of the club’s alternate black helms. And those lids might look even better atop what could be all-black monochromatic looks this season. And entering the repertoire Wednesday is an alternate white helmet with the logo and gold and something akin to a vanilla ice cream pattern on a shell adorned in black flecks. But I still think what the Saints should do is develop one starkly different uniform from what’s already in their closet – namely a version with a purple, green, and gold scheme as a nod to Mardi Gras. Honestly, why has it taken this long?
4. Philadelphia Eagles (6)
The return of their classic “Kelly Green” and silver uniforms as throwbacks two years ago was long overdue, their absence forced by the league’s formerly restrictive rules and then the extra time Nike needed to replicate the look once it was reinstated. And while some of the team’s fans would probably like to see the (not Chip) Kelly look restored as the primary one, the “Midnight Green” threads the team has mainly worn since 1996 are not only underrated but now inextricably linked with the most successful era in club history – three Super Bowl trips and two titles over the past eight seasons. Winning almost always, ahem, looks better. The black helmet the team occasionally uses seems extraneous, particularly given how dark their typical helmets already are.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (3)
Sorry, Saints, but no team is more seamlessly linked to its hometown than the Steelers. Black and gold, also worn by Major League Baseball’s Pirates and the NHL’s Penguins, is inescapable throughout the ‘Burgh, where even the bridges are gold. And the Steelmark symbol used by the American Iron and Steel Institute with the trio of hypocycloids on the right side of the helmet is identifiable to both the team and city. The Steelers’ Dark Knight Color Rush always looks sharp. They will also debut a new throwback for their October 26 game − too cold for bumblebees − against new QB Aaron Rodgers’ former team, the Packers. (But what’s up with the practice jerseys, guys?)
2. Las Vegas Raiders (T1)
The colors, the logo, the clean simplicity of the pants and jersey – it’s close to a perfect football uniform. The Silver and Black’s only sartorial sin remain not embracing their inner (and outer) Darth Vader. Why can’t we see the helmets and pants go primarily black with silver trim to complete a seriously menacing look? It’d be a serious commitment to football fashion excellence.
1. Los Angeles Chargers (T1)
The colors, the logo, the suite of combinations (including a new alternate uniform in 2025) – it’s close to a perfect football uniform. The Bolts’ only sartorial sin of late has been their reliance on white helmets while changing up the color of the lightning emblem depending on whether they’re wearing white, “Powder Blue,” navy or royal. Personally, I preferred the Junior Seau-era navy helmets with white lightning – though it’s worth noting the Chargers are 0-6 in their current navy unis. Others might like a royal dome and gold bolt honoring the Air Coryell teams. Thankfully, it does seem like a new helmet color is inbound, which should only make a team that’s become increasingly watchable more fun to look at, too.
