• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 4, 2025

NFL Gives Fans What They Want: More Throwback Uniform Games

Throwback and alternate jerseys already overindex in sales among NFL fans. Now, that trend is set to expand as the league further liberalizes its rules. 

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

National Football League throwback and alternate jerseys, already a big hit with fans, are set for a marked increase in exposure during the 2025 season.

Team owners at last week’s annual league meeting in Florida approved a shift in which teams will be allowed to wear alternate uniforms as many as four times during the season, up from a prior three times per club. Critically, teams also gained approval to wear alternate helmets with primary home and road jerseys, creating many additional potential uniform combinations. 

The change will also mean that particularly popular NFL throwback uniforms, such as the Kelly green of the Super Bowl LIX champion Eagles, the Buccaneers’ “Creamsicles,” and the Broncos’ “Orange Crush” jerseys, can be worn for nearly a quarter of the regular season. 

Alternates and throwbacks amount to as much as 30% of all NFL jersey sales—a figure outstripping their presence on the field and showing their outsized popularity with fans. Players also have frequently lauded the alternate looks. 

The change arrives as Nike recently extended its uniform rights deal with the NFL through 2038. League officials said the company will be fundamentally involved in additional changes likely forthcoming to the NFL’s uniform program. Those shifts are also intended to be notably different from the multiple missteps Nike has seen with its redesign of Major League Baseball uniforms. 

There will still be some guardrails in the NFL uniform expansion, however, including a prohibition on alternate jerseys in the Super Bowl.

“We talked about expanding the options that are available for teams, but also making sure there’s an understanding of the consistency that needs to be there from a brand standpoint,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “When someone turns on the TV, it’s great to see a new uniform, a new look, but you also want to know it’s the Denver Broncos, [for example].”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

PGA Tour Slashes FedEx Cup Winner Pay From $25M to $10M

The FedExCup is reworking how it distributes its bonus money.

Commanders’ $3.8B Stadium Deal in Jeopardy? Mayor Sounds the Alarm

Political tensions rise about delays in stadium funding approval.
A Lululemon store at Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township, New Jersey on Nov. 30, 2023

Sportswear Stocks Rise as Trump Touts Vietnam Trade Deal

Tariffs on Vietnam imports will be 20%, down from a prior threat of 46%.

Featured Today

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Michael Johnson

Grand Slam Track Still Owes Athletes $13 Million: Source

The new track league hasn’t paid athletes in full yet.
Sophie Cunningham
July 2, 2025

WNBA Expansion Decisions Show League Prioritizes North, NBA Ties

One player ripped the league for its geographic choices.
July 2, 2025

NHL to Rejoin Olympic Ice in Milan—and NBC Set to Cash In

NHL players last competed in the Olympics in 2014.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
Red Panda
July 2, 2025

Red Panda Hospitalized After WNBA Halftime Fall

The beloved performer was taken off the court in a wheelchair.
July 1, 2025

WNBA Roster Limits Under Fire After Vanloo’s Valkyries Release

Kaitlyn Chen remains on the Valkyries roster.
July 1, 2025

LIV Golf CEO Pushes Back On PGA Tour Merger

Scott O’Neil said there could be new opportunities for the Tour’s players.
July 1, 2025

New Philadelphia Arena Was Key to City’s Successful WNBA Bid

The forthcoming team will play in a new arena in South Philadelphia.