The Seattle Seahawks fanbase has been waiting for news on the team’s efforts to put together a throwback uniform. An update on that front has finally arrived.
The Seahawks announced on November 27 that the team will launch throwback uniforms from the 1990s as part of the league’s classic uniform program in 2023.
The announcement came in a video at Lumen Field during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders in the teams’ Week 12 matchup.
Seahawks to Bring Back Vintage 1990s Uniform
Seattle has used different color combinations over the last two decades, but those styles have mostly featured navy and lime green at home with white and sometimes gray on the road.
While the retro uniforms will have a little bit of green, lighter blue and silver are the two predominant colors.
The Seahawks wore this uniform combination starting during their inaugural season in 1976. The last time they wore silver helmets with lighter blue jerseys was 2002.
The switch to navy and lime green came during a uniform modernization that swept across most of the league during the 2000s. But over the last several years, Seahawks fans have been very vocal about wanting the team to bring back the team’s original uniforms.
“Seahawks fans have long been clamoring for their team to add throwback uniforms to the mix,” the Seahawks wrote in a press release on November 27. “And on Sunday, those in attendance at Lumen Field were the first to find out that the wait is almost over.”
Silver Helmet Return for Seahawks
Seahawks President Chuck Arnold explained in February that the team has wanted to put together a throwback uniform for quite sometime, but that it wasn’t going to work without a silver helmet.
Through the 2020 season, the NFL did not allow teams to have alternate helmets because of player safety concerns. But in June 2021, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk reported the NFL approved a plan to permit teams to wear a second helmet.
That made Seattle bringing back their first uniforms a possibility.
“The league has now, in 2022, allowed the second helmet option,” Arnold said while appearing on The Dave ‘Softy’ Mahler and Dick Fain Show on 950 KJR Radio in honor of President’s Day during February. “With that, we’re getting closer [to a retro uniform]. We won’t see it in 2022, but we are making really good progress. We know the fans are going to love the throwbacks.”
With the rule change, there has been an explosion of retro and alternate helmets across the NFL. The New England Patriots dressed in their original “Pat Patriot” helmet during Week 5 while the Atlanta Falcons wore their former red helmet in Week 6. Furthermore, the New York Giants will wear their “Giants” decal helmet multiple times this season.
Several other teams have featured alternate black helmets to provide a different look this season. The Chicago Bears wore orange helmets for the first time in their history during Week 6.
Along with the Seahawks retro uniforms, the Philadelphia Eagles announced that they will wear their “Kelly green” throwback uniforms in 2023.
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Seahawks Tease New Uniforms for 2023 NFL Season