One of the things that's helped to tide over the sports world during the COVID-19-forced absence of actual games is that a noteworthy amount of NFL teams have refreshed their looks to some degree this offseason.
Thus far, the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons all have released new jerseys ahead of the 2020 NFL season. We're still waiting to see updates from the two Los Angeles-based teams, the Chargers and Rams, before the season begins.
While some of the new jerseys have been panned, two teams have drastically improved their look this offseason by changing uniforms. Here's a look at the top 10 NFL uniforms currently:
10. Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl Champions(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)It's hard to make Kool-Aid red cool, but the Chiefs have been doing it since they were the Dallas Texans.
While we'll acknowledge that it's a bit too much when the Chiefs go with red-on-red, the red jerseys with white numbering and yellow trim are a strong look when white pants are worn. The team's white jerseys with red numbering and yellow trim work with white or red pants.
However you feel about the Chiefs' jerseys, you're likely going to be seeing them a lot moving forward. The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl Champions and will return virtually all of their starters in 2020.
9. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have one of the NFL's best alternate jerseys.(Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)Love them or hate them, the Dallas Cowboys star is iconic, and their helmet alone almost forces them to be on this list.
Additionally, while their navy blue jerseys aren't anything special, the Cowboys' white uniforms create for one of the more classic looks in sports. We're also big fans 1990s throwback jerseys - shown above - that the team wears occasionally.
All that said, the best jersey in the team's history are the 1960s-inspired throwbacks that the Cowboys wore on Thanksgiving in the 2000s. The NFL's helmet rule has squashed those for the time being, though.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If this list had been done a year ago, the Buccaneers certainly wouldn't have cracked it. Frankly, they probably would have been dead last in the league. The look that the team had from 2014-2019 made them look like crossing guards. It's also going to forever be associated with an era that produced zero playoff appearances.
As Tom Brady joins the Buccaneers and looks to snap a 12-year postseason drought, he won't be forced to wear one of the worst uniforms in the history of the league. While the Bucs will keep their unnecessary large logo on their current helmets, they'll also return to a similar look to what they wore when they won Super Bowl XXXVII. A half decade away from that jersey set made us appreciate it more.
If the NFL eliminates its one helmet rule in 2021 - something that apparently has been considered - the Buccaneers could also add their orange creamsicle jerseys in as an alternate as well. That would immediately give them one of the best jersey kits in the sport.
7. Buffalo Bills
The Bills have one of the NFL's best helmets.(Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)The look that the Bills sported from 2002-2010 - we'll call it the J.P. Losman era - is one of the worst in NFL history. The red helmets that the team first began wearing in 1984 were enough of an eyesore as is, but to add navy blue jerseys - while still continuing to feature royal blue in the team's look as well - created for a disastrous appearance.
Thankfully, the Bills ditched navy blue in 2011 and reverted back to a look that's similar to what they had worn historically. While we'd prefer the return of the red buffalo on their helmets, the team's current look is among the best in the NFL.
Perhaps the only complaint about the team's current jerseys is that their red Color Rush jerseys look a bit too similar to the New England Patriots' throwback jerseys. They aren't bad jerseys, but you do lose a bit of standing when one of your alternate jerseys reminds people of a division rival.
6. Cleveland Browns
The look that the Cleveland Browns first began using in 2015 didn't make for an awful jersey, but having "Cleveland" written both on the chest heart of the jersey and the side of the uniform pants created for a high school-type feel.
Hoping to get better quality of play than that of a high school team, the Browns have returned to the simpler look that they had prior to 2015, a wise move.
The Jimmy and Dee Haslam era hasn't been a successful one for the Browns in terms of wins and losses, but their commitment to "absolutely never" mess with the Browns' orange helmets is a tremendous decision.
5. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers have one of the league's best jerseys.(Grant Halverson/Getty Images)Unlike the Jacksonville Jaguars, who also debuted in 1995, the Panthers have essentially used the same jersey combination for their entire existence. There's a reason - they have a really good primary logo and three strong jersey options.
From Kerry Collins to Steve Smith to Cam Newton to Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers' black and white jerseys each feature a good amount of teal. And hey, their teal alternates, which they don't wear very frequently, are pretty cool too.
Perhaps an NFL team that's existed for going on 100 years would scoff at the idea of having a black primary jersey or featuring teal as much as the Panthers do. That's fine, the Panthers are a product of the era they were born in, and the 1990s were the best era for uniform experimentation. The Panthers are one of the jersey experiments that is still alive and thriving in the 2020s.
4. Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have a classic jersey.(Harry How/Getty Images)Sometimes, all you have to do is stick with the classics.
For the entirety of Aaron Rodgers' illustrious career, the Packers haven't messed with their primary jerseys or helmets. The home and road jerseys that the Packers will wear in 2020 are largely the same ones that Brett Favre wore when he led the team to Super Bowl XXXI. Heck, the jerseys that Bart Starr wore in Super Bowl I and II are pretty similar to the look that the Packers still proudly don.
Though we were bigger fans of the initial Nike attempt at the "ACME Packers" throwback, the history behind the blue-and-gold jerseys that the Packers wear once a year is pretty cool.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers' power blue jerseys are iconic.(Harry How/Getty Images)The Chargers are still set to unveil new uniforms before the 2020 season, as they prepare to move into SoFi Stadium. From here, they have a high standard to top, because their current jersey set is one of the best in the sport.
While you could make a case that the Chargers' navy blue look is a bit dated, their powder blue alternates are one of the most beloved jerseys in the sports. Additionally, their royal blue Color Rush jersey is easily the best jersey produced by an NFL experiment that otherwise produced a lot of really ugly looking jerseys.
For what it's worth, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says that he initially didn't understand why the team was updating their look, but after seeing the yet-to-be-released jerseys, he says they are "tremendous."
2. Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have one of the best jerseys in the sport.(Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)Everything about Marshawn Lynch's "Beastquake" run in the 2010 NFC Wild Card Round was beautiful. Well, everything except for the dated jerseys that the Seahawks were still wearing at that time.
Luckily in 2012, Russell Wilson's rookie season, the Seahawks switched to a new look that managed to include just enough lime green without being insulting. Perhaps the Seahawks' current look won't age well, but the lime green trim on the jersey numbers and Nike sign on the sleeve creates one of the league's best jerseys.
The Seahawks have two primary jerseys, a white one and a navy blue one. However, the gray-on-gray alternate - pictured above - is an idea that looks significantly better than it sounds. It's one of the sport's best alternate jerseys.
1. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders will take an elite jersey set to a new city.(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)No matter where the Raiders play on the West Coast, they have the cleanest look in the sport.
Remember how we said that the NFL's Color Rush initially didn't produce too many aesthetically pleasing jerseys? Well, one of the best Color Rush jerseys is the one that quarterback David Carr is wearing above, with silver numbering and black trim.
Of course, in addition to their classic helmet, the Raiders' two primary jerseys - a black one with silver numbering and a white one with black numbering - managed to strike the balance of being simple, yet fire.
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