Every NFL uniform tells a story. Some represent history, with designs nearly untouched since inception. Others have (thankfully) been retired as quickly as they were introduced.This month, I asked The Athletic’s staffers for the best and worst uniforms worn by each NFL franchise. Writers got quite specific in their responses. Let us know your favorite team’s best or worst uniforms in the comments, and read on to see what our staffers decided.This article is from The Athletic’s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe. Arizona CardinalsKyler Murray in 2025. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)Best: ‘Rivalries’ uniform (2025)At a recent offseason practice, I noticed a bird resting on a tree branch. I pointed this out to another reporter: Is that a cardinal watching the Cardinals practice? The bird appeared red, but as we looked closer, we realized it was more orange-ish in color. For this purpose, that’s appropriate.The Cardinal mascot transferred to Arizona when the franchise relocated from St. Louis in 1988. Its roots are actually in the cardinal color, not the bird. Even so, it always has seemed a bit miscast in the desert. That’s why I like the “Rivalries” uniform that was introduced in 2025. It has a desert vibe others have lacked.James Conner and Zach Pascal in 2023. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)Worst: All-red (2023)In 2023, the Cardinals sported an all-red look that one fan described on social media as looking a lot like pajamas. He wasn’t wrong. I’m a fan of simple uniforms. Less is more. But this was too plain. — Doug HallerAtlanta FalconsJames Primus in 1988. (Allen Steele / Allsport)Best: Falcons red (1978-1989)Do they just not make this color red anymore? It’s the only reason I can think to ever change from these beauties with the classic bird emblem and silver pants. No notes.Pierce Holt in 1994. (Al Bello / Allsport)Worst: Black home uniforms (1990-1996)I’ll never forgive former head coach Jerry Glanville for these things. They weren’t terrible on their own, but they ushered in an era of black-dominated jersey combinations that never hit the mark. The Falcons were 46-66 in these, which outlasted the “Man in Black” himself by three seasons. — Josh KendallBaltimore RavensOdell Beckham Jr. in 2023. (Rob Carr / Getty Images)Best: Blackout (2004-present)Baltimore’s black-on-black combination is typically reserved for primetime games or other spotlight matchups. It’s the team’s fiercest look.Jimmy Clausen in 2015. (Rob Carr / Getty Images)Worst: Mustard pants (2015)In Week 15 of the 2015 season, the Ravens broke out mustard-colored pants to pair with their purple home jersey, and they haven’t worn them since. They were that poorly received, by players and fans alike. — Jeff ZrebiecBuffalo BillsThe Bills in their 1962 uniforms. (Buffalo Bills)Best: Red, white and blue (1962-present, mostly)Not the original fit, but few recall when Bills founder and former Lions minority-owner Ralph Wilson stole his hometown team’s silver and Honolulu blue. When the Bills truly emerged on their own four hooves was when they switched to red, white and blue in 1962. These classics remain the Bills’ cleanest, most striking uniform — topped by the iconic white helmet with a standing, red buffalo.Josh Reed in 2002. (Rick Stewart / Getty Images)Worst: Navy blue (2002-2010)The Bills rebranded for a new era after Super Bowl legends Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith moved on, ushering in one of the darkest times in club history. In 2002, two years into a 17-season playoff drought, Buffalo switched to a navy-blue base. The uniforms matched the on-field product. — Tim GrahamCarolina PanthersCam Newton in 2015. (Tom Pennington / Getty Images)Best: Color Rush blue (2015-present)The Color Rush jerseys the Panthers debuted in 2015 were just like that Cam Newton-led Super Bowl team: bright, brash and flamboyant. Wearing them for the first time at Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, it was like Cam, Luke Kuechly and their teammates were saying to the Cowboys and everyone watching at home, “You don’t like them? Do something about it.” The Panthers were an unstoppable force most of that season, including in that 33-14 win at Dallas. Tony Romo is probably still seeing those blue jerseys in his sleep. (The Color Rush phenomenon began last decade as a Thursday night spectacle of solid-color alternate uniforms; some of those uniforms outlasted the promotion.Miles Sanders in 2025. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)Worst: White and silver mix (1998-present)The white jerseys are a nice, clean look, and they’ve used them in a bunch of uniform combinations. Bryce Young & Co. unveiled a white-jersey-with-black-helmets look last season that was pretty fire. But when the Panthers have worn the white tops with silver bottoms sandwiched between the white jerseys and white socks, it’s made the pants look dingy … like those slacks your dad should have taken to Goodwill years ago. The Panthers need to chuck that uni combo into the donation box. — Joe PersonChicago BearsBrian Urlacher in 2012. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)Best: Home navy (1984-present)For a franchise steeped in tradition, it’s hard to go against the classic home uniforms that have stood the test of time. Navy jerseys with three orange sleeve stripes. White pants with an orange-and-navy stripe down the side. Classic Bears socks. If you still need convincing, call up the 1985 NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field and see one of the most legendary teams in NFL history recording arguably the most iconic home win the franchise has ever had.Erik Kramer in 1994. (Jonathan Daniel / Allsport)Worst: Retro navy (1994)This Red Grange-era ensemble wouldn’t even be on the radar had the Bears not brought them back for three games in 1994. But alas, they did, donning a difficult-to-look-at jersey with a navy blue base and thick vertical orange stripes all across the front with another V-shaped orange stripe near the collar and a small white number near the right shoulder pad. Oh, and tan uniform pants, too. Hard pass. — Dan WiedererCincinnati BengalsJoe Burrow in 2024. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)Best: White Bengal (2022-present)This goes beyond the jersey. The white helmet, jersey, pants, socks combo in a primetime game is far and away the coolest aesthetic in team history.Ja’Marr Chase in 2024. (Kirk Irwin / Getty Images)Worst: ‘Open in Orange’ (2024-present)The Bengals created “Open in Orange” the past two years, and it ended in an inexplicable loss to the Jerod Mayo-coached Patriots in 2024 and Joe Burrow’s toe injury in 2025. Zero stars, do not recommend. — Paul Dehner Jr.Cleveland BrownsA classic look. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)Best: Classic (1946-present)There’s no such thing as a “bad” Browns jersey, as long as it follows the team’s signature and simple look. Simple works.Jamie Meder and Danny Shelton in 2016. (Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)Worst: ‘Cleveland’ block jersey (2015-2019)The “Cleveland” jerseys in what was billed as bold block lettering from 2015-2019 were the worst. Just a total fail, and the team knew it. — Zac JacksonDallas CowboysCeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in 2025. (Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)Best: White home jersey (1965-present)The Cowboys’ best jersey is their traditional one. It’s the jersey everyone thinks of when you picture the franchise’s greats, from Roger Staubach to Emmitt Smith to Jason Witten.Dak Prescott and Jason Witten in 2017. (Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)Worst: Seafoam green pants (2013-2019)The Cowboys really don’t have a bad jersey. They stay pretty traditional. The biggest criticism of their uniform over the years was about the pants they used to wear with their white jerseys. They switched to them from the traditional silver so they would stand out more on television. After the 2019 season, they switched back to the silver. — Jon MachotaDenver BroncosTerrell Davis in 1996. (Jamie Squire / Allsport)Best: The iconic ‘D’ (1967 to 1996)The uniforms worn by the Orange Crush defense that put the Broncos on the map in 1977 — and by John Elway as the gunslinging quarterback who captured the hearts and imaginations of the Mile High City — remain a part of the fabric of the Denver’s sporting history.It’s a shame that Denver’s two Super Bowl titles in the late 1990s came just after these beauties were discontinued in favor of the entirely meh navy blue unis that Broncos players wore for the next quarter century.When the Broncos introduced a new batch of uniforms in 2024 that included a retro version of the Orange Crush classics, fans began clamoring for that to return as the team’s primary uniform. Alas, there is no replicating what that uniform meant during that time and space in Denver.A 1960s Broncos team jersey, shown in 2009. (Ed Andrieski / AP)Worst: Original mustard and stripes (1960-1961)In some corners of the Broncos fan universe, the brown-and-yellow stylings of the team’s original uniform have become retro chic. You’ll see brown hats adorned with the goofy cowboy logo from time to time — a kind of hipster iconography.