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Green Bay Packers, Matt LaFleur
The Green Bay Packers are a team known to be heavily inspired by their tradition. Founded in 1921, they are the third-oldest team in the NFL.
Usually, when there’s tradition, there’s little change over time to what a team has become well known for. Just look at the Packers’ home stadium, Lambeau Field, which opened back in 1957, making it the second-oldest in the league behind Soldier Field.
There’s also the uniforms — the classic green and gold that has been a staple throughout most of the team’s history. While that isn’t expected to change anytime soon, the Packers, however, will be given Nike’s “Rivalries” uniforms to wear in 2026 during a divisional home game.
Answering a monthly Q&A on the team’s website, Packers president Ed Policy recently gave some details about what the uniforms will look like.
Packers President Ed Policy Teases ‘Rivalries’ Uniform Twist
Policy’s first details about the upcoming “Rivalries” uniforms were interesting, to say the least. But his clues may have raised more questions than answers.
“Stay tuned and you’ll learn more in the coming months – but I will say this truly alternate uniform will celebrate owners and emphasize our uniqueness…” Policy wrote.
Just how alternate does Policy mean?
That will be the first question Packers fans ask. But it likely means this could be a complete deviation from anything resembling their traditional look — perhaps even the absence of the green and gold color scheme.
That wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened, though. One of the main alternate uniforms the Packers have worn in the past featured throwbacks to when they wore navy and gold.
The second question involves the part where Policy said the uniforms would “celebrate the owners.” That’s the real head-scratcher, as what that could entail — and how it could be portrayed on a football uniform — will be unique, to say the least.
Packers Wire’s Zach Kruse offered one possible idea.
“It’s possible the uniform will somehow incorporate elements of the team’s stock sales into the look,” Kruse said.
While that’s a reasonable prediction, it would still be an unusual design choice — not to mention how it might affect jersey sales depending on how it’s executed.
Packers’ Alternate Uniform History Shows Rare Breaks From Tradition
The 2026 season won’t be the first time the Packers have chosen to wear an alternate uniform, but they have rarely strayed far from tradition.
Most recently, the team introduced the “1923 Classic” uniforms, featuring a dark navy jersey with yellow numbers and a unique leather-look helmet, honoring their first season as a publicly owned franchise.
Before that, from 2021 to 2023, the Packers wore their “50s Classic” uniforms — clean white jerseys with green numbers and logos inspired by that era.
From 2016 to 2024, the team also used an all-white “Color Rush” look, a more modern design often featured in prime-time games.
Going further back, from 2015 to 2019, the Packers wore navy blue throwbacks with gold hoops, paying tribute to the Curly Lambeau era from 1937 to 1948.
Earlier alternates included the 1929 throwbacks worn in 2010 and 2011, which featured navy uniforms with a yellow circle on the chest and brown helmets, as well as the 75th anniversary uniforms in 1994 modeled after the 1937 design.
Even in the early 2000s, the Packers used Thanksgiving throwbacks during games in Detroit, styled after their 1938-39 look.
Despite all those variations, the Packers have consistently kept their identity rooted in tradition.
That’s what makes this upcoming “Rivalries” uniform so intriguing.
If Policy’s comments are any indication, this could be one of the rare times the Packers truly step outside of that identity — and possibly further than they ever have before.
Shane Shoemaker Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker
