Top 10 NFL Throwback Uniforms: See Where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rank

Where do the creamsicles stack up against the rest?

River Wells | May 30, 2024

Oct 15, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) drops back to pass against the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Throwback uniforms are always a good time for NFL teams. Wearing them allows older fans to get nostalgic about the past and the era those uniforms were worn, while younger fans can experience them in person for the first time and enjoy a new look for their favorite team.

The NFL recently posted a question on social media asking fans which throwback uniform was the best in the NFL — and naturally, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers threw their hat in the ring with their patented creamsicle uniforms, brought back for the 2023 season for the first time since 2012.

That's easy.

🧡 https://t.co/AN6robzjoU pic.twitter.com/G3K1CbBLNW
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 30, 2024

Naturally, that got me thinking. I'm a huge uniform nerd, and I always look forward to any team wearing their throwbacks, so I figured it would be fun to rank them — who doesn't like ranking things? The NFL's social media posts on the matter chose ten different throwbacks, so those are the ones I'll be putting in order.

Check out my rankings below, and see where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fit into the fold:

10. New England Patriots

Oct 9, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

This is definitely still a cool one (they all are), but New England's old logo is perhaps the worst among all throwback teams. And while the color scheme is pretty cool, the red, white and blue motif is pretty frequent among sports teams everywhere, so this uniform doesn't stand out as much from the crowd as perhaps some of the others do. The shoulder stripes don't really do it for me, either, but the helmet stripes are a nice touch and the amount of white across the uniform makes for a clean look.

9. Atlanta Falcons

Sep 17, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) reacts with teammates after running for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

This Falcons uniform is probably the best uniform in their flock (heh) and features a very cool retro logo, but while it's a massive improvement over their other uniforms, it still remains a little plain. The black jerseys are featureless aside from some impressive red trim, which makes it look bland from certain angles. The black and white complement each other quite well, especially on the helmet, but it's also hard to be unique with a color scheme so widely used such as that one.

8. New York Giants

Dec 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) tosses the ball back to quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) on a flee flicker play during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The contrasting blues from the helmet to the jersey breaks just about every law of fashion, but for some reason, the New York Football Giants make it work. The "Giants" script logo works super well to invoke the nostalgia of a throwback uniform, and the bright blue jersey pops. Everything here is tastefully done, from the stripes on the shoulders to the single one down the helmet, but other options below just have a bit more to offer than New York.

7. Denver Broncos

Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos technically haven't worn this jersey yet, but they did a similar one last year with a white helmet. Evoking the John Elway days of old, the white facemask and the shade of blue used here works wonders to make everything pop. Block numbers will always be a plus, and Denver's old-school logo with the horse emerging from the block "D" looks fantastic. The socks here (not pictured, but can be found online) are triple-striped and don't work as well for me personally, but these are gonna look super clean on the field at Mile High.

6. Philadelphia Eagles

Oct 22, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) celebrates his touchdown with offensive tackle Jordan Mailata (68) and offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) against the Miami Dolphins at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Let's start getting into some controversial territory, shall we? Philadelphia's Kelly Green uniforms often top lists such as these, but I have a similar problem with these as I do with Atlanta's — everything is just a tad too uniform and plain across the board. These make up massive points with a unique shade of green no one else wears in the NFL and the vintage eagle wings on the side of the helmet absolutely ooze cool. These always look great under the lights in Philadelphia and the classic Eagles logo on the side of the shoulder wistfully evokes the NFL's days of yore.

5. Tennessee Titans

Dec 17, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo (85) celebrate after a touchdown during the first half against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Disputes on who should get to wear these aside, powder blue rarely looks bad on anything. The combo of Tennessee's blue and red looks phenomenal, the logo is all vintage awesomeness and the three stripes on the helmet are spaced out just right. Part of a great throwback uniform is a great vintage vibe, and few teams nail it like the Titans do here with old Houston Oilers uniforms. A classic look that only gets better with age.

4. Minnesota Vikings

Sep 10, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) reacts with wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) after scoring his first career touchdown pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins (not pictured) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Yeah, I can probably hear what you're saying — "These look just like the normal Vikings uniforms!" They do look similar, but it's a massive improvement on a color scheme that is already one of the NFL's very best. Excellent-looking block numbers replace the tacky ones on Minnesota's regular uniform, and the uni's vintage vibes really shine in the shoulder stripes. Mixed with a nice dual-color stripe down the side of the pants, these uniforms are among the best looking in the NFL, and if I had my way, the Vikings wouldn't wear anything else at home.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Oct 15, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) celebrates with defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (94) after sacking Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) (not pictured) in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Talk about vintage vibe, though. Tampa Bay's creamsicles evoke the 70s and 80s perhaps better than any other uniform, and Bucco Bruce looks better and better as time goes by. The shade of orange in the famed "creamsicles" is extremely unique across the league and the white accents create a winner. This is a phenomenal uniform that is well-deserving of a top-three spot, and it's a shame that some fans don't want them brought out anymore due to a losing stigma that comes with it. These should be worn by the Buccaneers once or twice a year at a minimum.

2. Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert (31) celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the first half of an NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Dec. 24, 2023. / Jim Rassol / USA TODAY NETWORK

This is a busy uniform, but oh, does it work. The teal, orange and white combination is unlike anything else in the NFL and the color on these throwbacks is a much more pleasant shade than the brighter one on Miami's current uniforms. The shoulder stripes are immaculate, the vintage Dolphins logo is awesome and block numbers with trim will always win my heart. I prefer the socks worn low instead of showing the weirdly-striped full-length ones, but the rest of the uniform is cool enough to where it doesn't really matte — this is one of the NFL's all-time best uniforms in all its glory.

1. Seattle Seahawks

Oct 29, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) celebrates after intercepting the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

This is the best throwback uniform in the NFL, and it's also one of the best football uniforms of all time. It has everything — the old Seahawks logo is delightfully vintage, the grey color scheme on the helmet and the pants work so well with the dark blue and lime green, the blue facemask is the best choice for the color scheme and the vintage logo as the shoulder stripes works so, so well. It is impossible to look bad wearing these, as either white or blue gloves work with the set, and it's so, so, so much better than the gaudy main uniforms the Seahawks currently wear. Gold stars all around.

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Published May 30, 2024

RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.