The NFL unveiled its first round of “Rivalries” uniforms on Thursday as part of a collaboration with Nike to create alternate jerseys and apparel designed to “celebrate storied local traditions.” The AFC East and NFC West teams were scheduled to participate first in this four-year program, with additional teams set to join over the coming seasons.
The AFC South and NFC North will participate in 2026, followed by the AFC West and NFC East in 2027 and finally the AFC North and NFC South in 2028.
The teams will be able to wear these uniforms for one game per season over the next three years, in addition to other alternate uniforms they may already have. For the scheduled games listed below, only the home teams will be wearing the “Rivalries” uniforms.
• Arizona Cardinals: Sept. 25 vs. Seattle Seahawks
• Miami Dolphins: Sept. 29 vs. New York Jets
• Buffalo Bills: Oct. 5 vs. New England Patriots
• New England Patriots: Nov. 13 vs. New York Jets
• Los Angeles Rams: Nov. 16 vs. Seahawks
• New York Jets: Dec. 7 vs. Dolphins
• Seattle Seahawks: Dec. 18 vs. Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers: Jan. 4, 2026, vs. Seahawks
The jerseys and related apparel will go on sale Sept. 10, and that will give a good sense of what fans think of these alternate uniforms. After all, new jerseys are always viewed as good moneymakers.
But what do we think of these new threads? Senior writer Matt Barrows and national news and trending writer Saad Yousuf combined to give us their ranking of the eight newly unveiled uniforms, with Barrows offering his thoughts on the NFC West uniforms and Yousuf on the AFC East.
When your rival is at the door, who will you become?
This is NFL Nike Rivalries.
Show them who you are. pic.twitter.com/gnMFY8H8tI— Nike (@Nike) August 28, 2025
1. Buffalo Bills
Really solid work all around, from naming the jersey “Cold Front” to the design and the details. The icy all-white presentation is such a Buffalo vibe and mentally took me back to the Bills’ iconic snow game in 2017. But if we’re talking about the best parts, we have to start with the texturized silver buffalo logo on the sleeves. I’m a big fan of including the fan element in these jerseys, and Bills Mafia is one of the most electric fan bases in the league. To have them represented inside the back neckline is a good move. I do wish they were scheduled to wear it a little later. I don’t need a snowstorm, but Oct. 5 against the Patriots feels a little early. I would have liked some colder temperatures, being able to see the players’ breath in those clean uniforms.
2. New England Patriots
The neckline steals my attention. On the outside of the front, you have six red stars, which serve a great double purpose, referencing the six states that make up the New England region and the six Super Bowl championships won by the Patriots. The inside of the back neckline reads “We Are All Patriots,” which was the message from owner Robert Kraft after the team’s first Super Bowl win in 2002. I don’t love the “NE” logo, but I appreciate that it’s simple and doesn’t distract from the rest of the design. On looks alone, I like the silver stripes matching on the shoulders and the pants, not to mention the cool connection that represents the Gillette Stadium Lighthouse.
3. Arizona Cardinals
These duds are ripe for jokes: Your mom needs to use better detergent. Looks like the Cardinals have been dining at Taco Bell. The Cardinals were caught outside when the haboob rolled in. But therein lies the connection. The greater Phoenix area just experienced such a weather event, the biggest in recent memory. That is, the uniforms are as unique as an August dust storm.
4. San Francisco 49ers
When in doubt, use saloon font. These uniforms are awfully similar to the “All Blacks” the team used occasionally during the Jim Harbaugh era. The exception: the gold-shadowed, saloon-font numbers, which are far more visible than the red-on-black arrangement from the past. There are two nods to the fan base — “Faithful” on the front, “Faithful to the Bay” inside the back collar.
5. Seattle Seahawks
They’re aiming for a pump-up-the-volume theme. The iridescent marks on the shoulder pads and breastplate are meant to depict sound waves. The boisterous “12s” are featured on the front and back of the helmet. But if you were going for loud uniforms, why not use the neon — Ack! My eyes! — “Color Rush” unis already in circulation? Nothing is more excessive than those threads.
6. Miami Dolphins
Taking the dark color route is often risky. At least that Dolphins orange is scattered throughout the design, including the neckline, the nameplate on the back, “Miami” written across the chest and some details on the shoulder. If players wear orange gloves with this design, it’ll take it to a higher level. The theme of the design is speed, which is a solid nod to aspects of their roster and dolphins in the water.
7. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams went with a darker blue and returned the iconic ram horn to its rightful place — on the sleeve of the jersey. The so-called “Midnight Mode” uniforms are more traditional but a bit sleepy. Maybe they should be called “Night Night Mode.”
8. New York Jets
Including Gotham City Football in the design was a good move, and it makes sense for the Jets to pay homage to the earliest days, when Joe Namath helped the Jets win the Super Bowl. The overall display of this uniform is better than all of the details, and the green pants will go well with the jersey. But overall it doesn’t feel like they went for much of a theme beyond just going dark.
(Photos courtesy of Nike)
