Eagles Kelly green jerseys have been spotted
Attention, fashion-conscious Eagles fans looking to refresh your summer wardrobe: Throwback Kelly green uniforms have been spotted around the Delaware Valley, and they’re fabulous.
Nothing is official, but photos of the jerseys, some available for sale, have been popping up on social media. It’s been a long time coming, but better late than never.
From 1935 to 1995, Philadelphia Eagles uniforms were always Kelly green. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie, more specifically his wife, preferred the darker midnight green shade and made the switch in 1996.
Philly fans never fully embraced the Seahawks-esque color and have been waiting for a return to Kelly green for the last 27 years. At last year’s owners meetings, Lurie announced that the Kelly green jerseys would return but would take a year to get right.
Since then, the Eagles have been working with Nike to match the Kelly green as closely as possible. Believe it or not, Nike didn’t have the color in its palette for the new materials used for today’s jerseys.
Apparently the issue has been resolved. Speaking at the owners meeting last March, Lurie announced the Eagles will officially bring back a Kelly green uniform as an alternate in 2023.
To be fair, Philadelphia has been trying to add a Kelly green throwback for years, but the NFL’s one-shell rule limited teams to one color helmet per season. The team proposed a change to the rule in 2017 but had no success. The NFL reconsidered in 2021, paving the way for the popular color.
If the leaks are accurate, the throwback jerseys will resemble those worn from the mid-'80s to the mid-'90s. Think Randall Cunningham, Reggie White and Jerome Brown. Those three never won a Super Bowl for the city, but as members of Buddy Ryan’s Eagles, they wore the Kelly green proudly, and Philadelphia is wise to honor that era with its alternate jerseys.
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