It’s Christmas in August for fans of new NFL jerseys.
On Tuesday, the NFL and Nike introduced the latest batch of “Rivalries” jerseys for a quarter of the league. Teams in the AFC South and NFC North unveiled the jerseys they will wear at one home game against a division rival in 2026, following the concept’s debut last season with the NFC West and AFC East.
Each of the eight jerseys has a story, and the new kits will debut on the field as early as Week 3. The jersey will also pair with a non-traditional helmet, including some new-look hats. Additionally, the two divisions that got Rivalries jerseys last year will again wear them in one game this season.
Here are the jerseys, and when you’ll see each on the field:
Colts: Week 3 (vs. Texans)
Packers: Week 5 (vs. Bears)
Lions: Week 8 (vs. Vikings)
Jaguars: Week 8 (vs. Colts)
Titans: Week 10 (vs. Jaguars)
Texans: Week 11 (vs. Colts)
Vikings: Week 15 (vs. Lions)
Bears: Week 16 (vs. Packers)
Two things jump out in terms of the schedule.
First, the Packers-Bears rivalry, arguably the league’s most storied with 213 all-time meetings, will feature a team wearing a non-traditional jersey in each game. That was entirely coincidental, NFL chief revenue officer and executive vice president of partnerships Renie Anderson tells The Athletic.
“The clubs came to us because they’re so excited about the uniforms and the meaning of the uniforms and what they mean to the community,” Anderson said. “A lot of the design comes from the local market, local community and how they think about that, and so we work together with them.”
Second, there will be no Rivalries uniforms for the Texans-Titans tilts in Weeks 5 and 18. Nike did a delicate dance with both franchises. The Oilers were born in Houston, but the rights to the franchise reside in Nashville with the Titans, who overhauled their uniforms and branding this offseason by leaning heavily on Oilers colors and nostalgia.
For the Titans jerseys, Nike returned to the two-tone blue that carried the franchise throughout its time in Nashville until this season.
In Houston, Nike “iced out” the Texans jersey and went with large blue numbering. That blue is called H-Town Blue, which is similar to — but not exactly the same as — the current Titans/former Oilers Columbia Blue, and the Texans introduced it in 2024.
For the two other AFC South teams, Nike mixed a “Florida coastal culture with the city’s urban swagger” to produce the Jaguars jerseys. The Colts jersey keeps the team’s classic look in darker tones.
In the NFC North, Minnesota has some Vikings-knot-inspired details on the sleeves. The numbering on the Lions’ jerseys is “carbon-fiber-inspired,” meant to evoke the city’s auto industry.
The Rivalries program, which mirrors what Nike has done with MLB’s City Connect uniforms and the NBA’s City Edition uniforms, will have teams wear these jerseys for at least four years. The NFC West and AFC East are now entering their second season in them; here’s their slate for this season.
• Cardinals: Week 2 vs. Seahawks
• Bills: Week 11 vs. Dolphins
• Patriots: Week 13 vs. Bills
• 49ers: Week 14 vs. Rams
• Seahawks: Week 16 vs. Rams
• Rams: Week 16 at Seahawks
• Jets: Week 16 vs. Patriots
• Dolphins: Week 17 vs. Bills
The Seahawks and Rams will wear their Rivalries uniforms once this season, in their Christmas-night matchup in Seattle. The NFC title game rematch will be the first time both teams have worn the jerseys in the same game.
Year 1 of the program requires each team to wear Rivalries at a home divisional game, but Year 2 allows for teams to take them on the road.
“The Rams came to us with a request to wear it at an away game when they’re playing the Seahawks,” Anderson said. “And we thought, what a great idea to then match the Rivalries.”
Next year, teams in the NFC East and AFC West will get their Rivalries jerseys. In 2028, the AFC North and NFC South will follow, rounding out the league.
