It’s Time for Eagles Uniform Reform

On this day, February 4th, in the year 2025 of our Lord let me be the first to call for Philadelphia Eagles uniform reform.

I grew up with the iconic Kelly green and silver uniforms and I was all set.  I’m huge on fashion aesthetics and thought that in the early 70’s that my Eagles may have sucked but damn they looked good doing it.

There are pictures in the NovaCare complex on the hallway that leads to the locker room of past Eagle greats and iconic shots frozen in time of old-time Eagles on the gridiron battlefield.  Besides the one that I photobombed with Randall when I was a cameraman like a hundred years ago, one stands out above all others.  It’s a picture of linebacker Jerry Robinson in the away 70’s and 80’s jersey.  He’s just standing there waiting for the opposing offense to break huddle, looking like he’s about to ear hole someone with a light snow falling from the sky.  It doesn’t get more epic than that!

Gangsta Chic

The Birds transitioned into a more plain, clean jersey in the late 80’s and early 90’s,  but still were decked out in Kelly green with the same helmet and wings.  They added a touch of black around the numbers and an extra black line down their game pants.  They donned the Kelly green in some form up until 1996 when new owner Jeffrey Lurie,  unveiled perhaps the second worst uniforms in the NFL, right in front of the Cleveland Browns, who still sport the logo-less helmets and the Burger King ensemble.  The Birds new ownership went with midnight green and black.  First of all let me help you out Mr. Lurie, black and green aren’t the best of color schemes, especially a dark green and a pitch black.  But of course back in the mid 90’s everyone was throwing in a gratuitous black border or backsplash because black, like sex, sells.  Or at least it did back then.  It was the era of gangsta chic even if a former color scheme had to be sacrificed to make room for the pseudo crips craze.  The only uniform that black looks good on in the entire NFL is the Las Vegas Raiders.  Their unis are classic, timeless and bad-ass, even if the team is kind of soft.

The Eagles are one of the most image conscious conglomerates to ever exist so I know they hear what the masses are saying about the Kelly green uniforms that have recently become the team’s third or alternate jersey. If you’ve watched a Birds game this year when the broadcast cuts to a crowd shot after a touchdown all you see is a sea of Kelly green.

Kelly Green Backs

And I would think it would be a monster cash grab which is always at the top of the priority list for Eagles’ ownership. (See most recent get-richer-quicker scheme in the form of canned snow from the Rams’ playoff game a couple weeks ago for the low, low price of $50 per pop. They sold out.)  Can’t make it up.

As the home team in Super Bowl 59, the Eagles were given the first choice of uniform color for Sunday’s game and many fans took to Twitter/X  hoping that the team would decide to break out their Kelly green jerseys.

Unfortunately the league has strict uniform rules and in the postseason teams are not allowed to wear their third or alternate jerseys due to a league policy that states “Postseason uniform designation must include Primary Jersey color (team color or white) and Primary Pant color choices.”

So for their fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance the Birds will be wearing their hideous midnight green and black uniforms with their white pants.

Not that this means much but teams wearing their white jerseys are 16-4 in the past 20 Super Bowls.  Just saying.  At least the white jerseys with the green pants are much more palatable then the reverse.

What’s The Downside?

Ok so the Philly boys won’t be treating the world to their spectacular Kelly green uniforms this Sunday, which they are 4-0 when wearing since they brought them back as an alternate jersey last year.

But going forward why not scrap the midnight green and go back to the Kelly green as their primary uniforms?  The fans want it, the players love it and it’s an instant cash flow surge for the organization.  Sounds like a win-win-win to me.

The team would just have to comply with the NFL’s policy called the five year rule.

Here’s how it is stated in the NFL handbook:

(1)  Absent specific extenuating circumstances as determined by the Commissioner, if a club desires to make any changes in club colors, uniform appearance, designs of team helmets, designs of team uniforms, trademarks, or trade names, it must give written notice and details thereof to the League on or before March 1 of the year prior to the year in which it wishes to change; must comply with the uniform change notification and approval timeline as established by the League office and amended from time to time, the current timeline being attached hereto; and further must obtain approval from the League pursuant to the Section 19.9(D)(2) herein by December 1 of the year prior to the year in which it wishes to change; otherwise it shall have no right to make any change for the succeeding season.

In simpler terms:

 – By March 1 of the year prior to the year in which a uniform change will take place, written notice and details of any changes in the uniform must be provided to the League office (e.g., if you want to make a change for 2026, you must notify the league not later than March 1, 2025).

 – By July 1 of that year, uniform color selection and logo design must be completed, having been approved by the club’s owner and chief executive.

 – By August 1 of that year, initial uniform samples must be created and approved by the club’s owner, equipment manager, and chief executive.

 – By November 1 of that year, final uniform samples are to be provided to the League office for TV testing.  Approvals from club owner, equipment manager and chief executive must be certified to the league by this date.  If final samples do not arrive in the League offices by November 1 of the year preceding the season in which the change is occurring, the uniform will not be approved.

 – By December 1, the league office gives final approval for use the following season.

 Third, be it Further Resolved, that a Club may not change its regular home and away uniforms more than once every five NFL seasons, and may not change its third uniform design more than once every five NFL seasons, absent specific extenuating circumstances (e.g., Club ownership change or relocation) as determined by the Commissioner.

So there it is.  It’s too late to apply to reinstate the Kelly green uniforms for next season but the 2026 season is still a viable option.

I’m all in.  Who’s with me?

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