Ranking all of the NFL’s current throwback jerseys: Dolphins, 49ers lead impressive collection of threads

Throwback jerseys were all the rage in the NFL at the start of the century, thanks to teams bringing back uniforms that went by the wayside in the 1990s in favor of darker colors (49ers going to cardinal red, Eagles to midnight green). Turns out, fans and teams liked the old colors and uniform designs — even if they were only used as a one-off during the year. 

The NFL brought up the “one-shell rule” in 2013 to improve player safety, requiring teams to have only one helmet color so players would practice and play in the same helmet. Throwback jerseys went by the wayside, as teams that didn’t use stickers on their helmets or had different helmet colors couldn’t don a throwback jersey (didn’t match the helmet associated with it). 

Thankfully, the league eliminated the “one-shell rule” in 2021, meaning teams could wear an alternate helmet in addition to their current one. The alternate helmet allows teams to bring back their proper throwback uniforms for the 2022 season and beyond, which the New England Patriots are already doing with the “Pat Patriot” design — as their throwbacks haven’t been worn since 2012.

A few weeks ago, we ranked the league’s alternate jerseys. This time, the throwbacks are in the spotlight. These are the current throwback jerseys that are in the rotation for 2022, whether a team uses an alternate helmet or not. (The Philadelphia Eagles, for example, will not count in this since their “Kelly Green” throwbacks aren’t coming back until 2023.) 

There are currently 14 throwback jerseys in the NFL. Teams that use home and road throwback jerseys will be counted together (the Miami Dolphins are an example). This ranking is certainly debatable, especially the one that claimed the top spot. 

Just because this jersey is ranked the worst of the throwbacks doesn’t mean it’s bad. The Colts really haven’t changed their look much in their 70-year history. So what’s different about these jerseys?

The Colts use three stripes on the sleeve instead of two, the numbers are block numbers from that era, and the numbers are higher on the shoulder panel. The horseshoe logo resides on the back of the helmet and the pants have a single stripe instead of two.