The Commanders new uniforms are a throwback in the best ways

The Washington Commanders have new uniforms. They look a lot like their old uniforms, only without the slur.

Washington unveiled a 2026 redesign that brings back the burgundy and gold of the franchise's glory days. These throwbacks will be full time, ditching the generic, stenciled numbers and nameplates of the team's original kits that followed the official switch to "Commanders" before the 2022 season. It's a move that, paired with the Tennessee Titans' embrace of their powder blue past, will seismically shift the bottom two spots in annual NFL uniform rankings for years to come.

Here's how they look, which is a lot like they used to only without an ethnic caricature as the focus of the helmet.

Big bold numbers, color splitting stripes and strong contrasts immediately make this an upgrade even before considering the winning history to which it ties. Washington won three Super Bowls between 1982 and 1991 looking an awful lot like this, only with a mascot that denigrated a community and invited protest. Now they've brought back the best parts of that look, albeit with a very boring logo on top.

The alternates bend together the franchise's old spear helmet decal with the folded "W" and the black backgrounds the team has worn in recent years. It's fine, but it mostly serves as an example how boring this could have been. Instead, Washington looked to the past and struck gold. Also, burgundy.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Commanders new uniforms are a throwback in the best ways