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Alternate jerseys the Chicago Bears need to start using

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Jul 25, 2025 9:13 AM ET

At a time when several franchises are making waves in the NFL world with retro throwbacks or cool new alternate jerseys, the Chicago Bears lag woefully behind. Their current 1936 throwbacks are a clean look (and were oddly disrespected in a recent jersey ranking), but their all-orange alternate has been a disaster since it was first unveiled, leading some fans to refer to it as the 'pumpkins'.

Even the Green Bay Packers are getting in on the fun with a throwback to their earliest days, complete with a helmet painted to look like the leather helmets of yore. To be fair, the University of Illinois did it first and arguably pulled it off even better, but I digress.

It's about time the Bears join the club with a cool new alternate or throwback design. Here's four options.

1. 1940's Navy/Orange throwback

The Bears have actually done this version before, so why not bring it back? It was a hit with the fans and proved out the saying that 'less is more'. The simplicity of the navy jersey with all orange lettering and numbering, complete with a blank navy helmet, works so well. The fact that it's a throwback to the 1940's, a time when the Bears won multiple NFL championships, makes it all the better.

2. All white (Polar Bears)

Here again we have a jersey that the Bears have worn in the past, when they paired the white pants with a white jersey. The fans have been begging for this to make a comeback, so you know it'd be popular. You could even improve the overall look with a new white helmet to match the jersey and would come with a cool nickname like Polar Bears.

3. Blackout alternates (Black Bears)

Here we have to start using our imagination. A few teams in recent years have released a blackout alternate jersey, such as the Detroit Lions, and these jerseys are epic. This is something the Bears should consider because there is such great potential to work with. Mixing in navy and orange with a black jersey and utilizing the bear's head logo for the helmet could really excite the fanbase.

4. An entire new look

If all goes right for the Bears this season, then we will have a kind of team that has not been seen in Chicago since the 1940's. I'm talking about a Bears team that wins on the back of an explosive offense, captained by an elite quarterback, and led by an innovative, forward-thinking head coach. On top of that, there's the new stadium that is (slowly) moving from board room meeting discussions to reality.

Simply put, the Bears stand on the precipice of a new era of a change. Perhaps then they should also do a full change of their jersey design.

I understand that this would be enormously unpopular with a lot of fans. You don't mess with an iconic look on a whim, and these jerseys are iconic. But they are also associated with repeated failure. There's been tweaks over the years, but since the Bears first added the 'C' to the helmet in 1962 they've remained largely the same. In this time, the Bears have advanced to just two championships and won once.

Team President Kevin Warren has talked about winning championships since the day he was hired. We learned just this week that Ben Johnson has told the players he wants to build a dynasty. If the Chicago Bears are going to live up to these lofty goals, make the name 'Chicago Bears' once again synonymous with championships, they might as well charge lock, stock, and barrel into a transformation.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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