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Everyone loves those Sundays when their favorite team decides to don their retro threads.
It adds a little bit of spice, a little bit of flair, a little bit of je ne sais quoi to our Sunday afternoons.
But not all retro jerseys are created equal! Some look fresh and clean, even after all these years, while others look like they should have stayed in the era they came from!
This list ranks the 10 best retro jerseys in the NFL. Spoiler Alert: The Philadelphia Eagles’ Kelly Green uniforms are at the top of our list.
If you disagree with our rankings, feel free to drop a comment down below!
Best Retro Jerseys
#1 Philadelphia Eagles Kelly Green
These Kelly Green uniforms are some of the nicest uniforms donned by any team, ever! These jerseys are classic and bold, but the helmet is equally the star of the show.
The Eagles only wore these once in recent years, in an opening day game against the Packers. Since then, the NFL has created some archaic rule to prevent the Eagles from wearing them.
The rule states that teams can only have one helmet for reasons of player safety – which is really just codeword for “These jerseys are too awesome and make the rest of the league look bad.”
Read: The Best NFL Jerseys
#2 New England Patriots
These retro jerseys are bold, bright and beautiful, which was a different look for the Patriots (until they re-made their jerseys this past year).
I especially like the blue accents around the numbers and the stripes on the shoulder. They give these jerseys an extra “wow” factor.
It certainly helps that the Patriots enlisted the help of the red, white and blue colour scheme, which is undefeated in all sports.
Read: Top Selling NFL Jerseys
#3 Denver Broncos
These jerseys are sharp, clean and very retro. I like how brilliantly the orange pops out on the field, especially on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The stripes on the shoulders are a little different but they still work. The purple and white accents everywhere give these jerseys a little bit of “oomph”.
My only knock against these jerseys is that they’re somewhat similar to the Bears’ color rush jerseys. They feature similar color schemes and helmets.
But then again, the Bears have a classic jersey which means this is a classic jersey too.
Read: The Best College Football Jerseys
#4 Tennessee Titans
The Titans powder blue retro jerseys pay homage to the Houston Oilers, the organization that moved to Tennessee before becoming the Titans.
Powder blue always looks great, but it’s the red and white accents and stripes that give these jerseys a classic look and feel.
I especially love the Oiler logo on the helmet, even if that doesn’t technically have anything to do with the jersey.
#5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs’ creamsicle orange jerseys with the Bucco Bruce logo on the sides of the helmets are certainly unique!
They’re very colorful on the field, and the orange and red stripe down the pants adds a little extra pizzazz to these jerseys.
The only drawback is that these jerseys have been associated with losing, as the Bucs were just plain horrible while they donned these jerseys.
#6 Indianapolis Colts
The Colts’ retro jersey is clean, crisp and classic. The three parallel stripes around the sleeves with the player’s number on the shoulders gives these jerseys an old school charm, and I especially like the deep blue color scheme.
The blue helmets really complement the white jersey well and gives this retro jersey a little bit of modern flair. The only knock against them are the horseshoes on the back of the helmet, which look a little odd.
Still, these jerseys look great and I wouldn’t mind if the Colts wore these more often.
#7 Minnesota Vikings
The Viking’s retro jersey is clean, simple and efficient.
There’s not much going on with these jerseys, but they still look great. The gold and white stripes add some jazz to the monotone purple, but otherwise these are retro jerseys through and through.
In the NFL, sometimes keeping things simple is the way to go. The Vikings’ retro jersey proves that.
#8 Detroit Lions
The Lions’ retro jersey isn’t all that different from their regular Home/Away jerseys, except that it’s parsed down and has less detail.
Usually, that would make a jersey worse, but for retro jerseys, a simpler, cleaner look only makes them look more retro.
It helps that the Lions have one of the nicest shades of blue in the league. I especially like the silver numbers with no drop shadow or accents. It just adds to the mystique of these jerseys.
#9 New York Jets
The colors on this jersey don’t really go all that well together, and it’s hard to actually tell that this is a uniform for the New York Jets.
But the Jets’ regular green uniforms are so bad that even this jersey which is a mismatch of colors would look better as the permanent jersey.
I do like how the numbers are pigskin-colored and the bright stripes around the shoulders, but I’m not sure if any team other than the Browns can get away with a helmet without a logo.
#10 Pittsburgh Steelers
These jerseys look like the uniforms they make prison inmates wear.
Still, I appreciate how different these jerseys are, and I can’t fault a team with as classic a jersey as the Steelers have for trying something completely different.
The numbers encased in the white squares are an “interesting” touch, and you’ll certainly stand out if you wear one of these at a social event.
