Way back in early July, the Washington Commanders announced they would be bringing back gold pants for the 2024 NFL season. At the time, I said it was the “best news of the day,” and I almost used a similar headline again. This truly is some welcome uniform news in a year that doesn’t seem to have much good uni news.
While the team hasn’t sported gold pants since 2018, when they were known by a different name, there is a deep and rich history of gold pants throughout the Washington football franchise’s past. In fact, the team wore gold pants (either athletic gold or metallic gold) from 1933 through 1979. The team dropped the gold pants until 1994, wearing them a part of a throwback uniform which almost every NFL team wore during the league’s 75th anniversary season.
The team would again wear gold pants in 2002 and 2003 as part of a throwback uniform (the former year being the team’s 70th Anniversary):
And for the team’s 75th anniversary, in 2007, once again the team would roll out a different throwback, again featuring gold pants:
But still, the team’s primary home and road uniforms did not have gold pants as part of the regular rotation until 2010. The team that season had both white and burgundy pants, but worked the gold pants into the rotation and wore them with both the burgundy and white jerseys. In 2012, the team officially ditched the burgundy pants. And in 2014-15, the team wore only gold pants, both home and road.
In 2016 the burgundy pants returned. After 2018, the athletic gold pants were finally retired from the regular uniform rotation (although the team would wear a tannish-metallic gold for throwback games).
By 2020, the team would be temporarily known as the “Washington Football Team,” keeping that name through the 2021 season. Again, the team worked in throwbacks with tannish-gold pants, but the athletic gold britches were no more. Of course, in 2022, the team rebranded as the “Commanders” and they introduced three new uniforms:
For the past two-plus seasons, the Commanders have mixed and matched elements from the burgundy and white uniforms, while keeping the BFBS alternate as one single uniform.
So fans — many of whom have been calling for a return to the athletic gold pants for years — will finally see the Washington team back in athletic gold this weekend, when they take on the Giants for their home opener. During this week’s Monday Morning Uni Watch I noted the Commanders, despite unveiling the gold pants back in July, had not worn them either in pre-season or opening weekend, and speculated that they were saving them for the team’s home opener.
And indeed, they will:
This is some of the best uniform news of the week! Unfortunately, their opponents this Sunday will be the Giants, who will be sporting their regular road uniforms, meaning this game likely won’t sniff the good side of the 5 & 1. But still, the gold pants are back!
It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since the team wore the gold pants that have really been a part of their identity for the majority of their time in the NFL.
It’s about time!
Obviously, we will need to see the pants (which are stripeless) in action, but what do you guys think of them? Should they also try to pair them with the white jerseys, or should they just be paired with the burgundy (the white jerseys have NO athletic gold on them)? Are you a fan of Washington in gold pants? I know many fans grew up during the Thiesman/Riggins days when the team was in (and won) a couple Super Bowls and enjoyed their greatest period of sustained success, so they prefer the team in burgundy and white. What do you think?
I prefer gold pants and a gold helmet-which unfortunately were worn for only 2 seasons (1970 & 1971) and the 1 throwback game in 2007. I believe that the gold helmets may have been of Lombardi’s doing.
As a neutral observer, I’ve always preferred the gold pants. I’ve never been a fan of the white jersey/maroon pants combo, which they wore way too much in the ’80s/’90s by wearing white jerseys at home. I guess that’s because I grew up watching them in gold pants.
Those 2002 throwbacks are far and away my favorite look for Washington and wished this was what they would have “rebranded” as a few years ago as the Warriors or something that fit that arrow logo. I like it so much that I’ve copied it in video game custom teams unis for years.
Those were so awesome. I can’t believe they didn’t go with a full-time version of that.
Makes this pretty bland combo a lot better. That is, as long as they were maroon socks. Please don’t let them wear white tights/socks with these.
This has always been my default uni combo when playing with them in Madden since the name change. It’s a shame it took this long to bring it out.
Won’t matter, because they’ll insist on going mono every time. We’ll never see those gold pants.
Not sure where you’re getting that from. After the unveiling with the three mono unis, the team almost always mixed and matched the burgundy and white.
In 2022, they went mono-white three times (twice with white socks) and mono-burgundy exactly one time.
link
They were much more mono-centric in 2023 (six times in white jersey/pants, and thrice in mono-burgundy)
link
But 9 out of 17 games is just barely over 50%. Not something most folks would consider “going mono every time”
I love the white jersey at all home games especially against Dallas making them wear their blue jersey! Most teams usually wear their dark jersey at home making Washington different from those teams
“Athletic gold”, as opposed to awkward, uncoordinated gold. LOL.
I think the benefit of this set for me is that with the gold numbers, gold pants are best. If the maroon jersey numbers were white with gold outline, for example, the white pants would look better. U of MN had the same issue with their combos as well. That said, I much prefer the gold pants, regardless of the number color. As always, with all of the pants they use, stripes would be nicer.
It’s striking to me that, in looking at the team’s prior uniform combos, they were soooo much better than the current set in almost every way. I know teams love to go “new and different”, but had they simply changed the name, put that “W” on the helmets and stuck with the 2014-15 set in the last two photos before the current ones, none of this nonsense would be necessary.
Finally, a piece of good news out of the WFC franchise.
If it were up to me, they’d have two uniform options:
Burgundy over gold
White over burgundy
Basically the 2010 look with the new helmet (the origami W has grown on me) though back to a gold facemask is what I am hoping for when they redesign in a few years.
Burgundy over gold and white over white for me… burgundy socks for both of course.
Ideally, they’d revert to the old branding design chassis at some point down the road – sans the burgundy pants.
I would embrace that, along with restoring the c.1979 striping pattern to the helmet, sleeves and pants. It wasn’t broken and didn’t need fixing.
This is great news and all, but they need an actual logo for their helmet that W is so lazy and every time I look at it, it annoys me.
Everything about the rebrand was lazy. I think it was Snyder’s last opportunity to issue a gigantic F U to the fans and the league.
Not saying I disagree with you…but I kinda remember the uniforms were put together by committee, with Snyder, Rivera, others(?)each taking a crack at the home, road and alt – rarely does that ever turn out well – and could be the reason the uniforms are so disjointed (and generally of poor design).
Really should have just stuck with the WFT look before selling. Oh well…he’s gone at least – hopefully they’ll look better (and with a better name?) real soon
What in the world would the best name for the team?! Maybe, The Washington Justices?
I don’t care for the gold pants. I don’t like their mono looks, but I like it better when they wear white pants or burgundy pants in contrast with whatever jersey color they’re wearing.
This is the only combo this uni set can pull off. All others are trash.
I sent this once, but I don’t know if it went through. The white pants blow, whether with the burgundy jerseys as in week one, or the all whites. Even worse, though, are the white jerseys. What’s up with the silver stripes on the sleeves? Are these rejects from Ohio State? The “gold” pants with all but the killer all black uniforms is the way I would go.
Never mind the Theismann/Riggins days, I grew up in the Sonny Jurgensen/Larry Brown/Roy Jefferson/Chris Hanburger era and I LOVE the gold pants! I truly can’t decide whether I like them better paired with the burgundy jersey or the white jersey. Either way is fine with me.
Should the pants have stripes? Yes. Should the helmet have a better logo than that generic W? Yes. Is “Commanders” a stupid name, and does it look stupid above the jersey numbers? Yes and yes.
But this good news, and I’m crossing my fingers that having these gold pants will eliminate or at least minimize the number of times they go mono-burgundy or BFBS.
Is the Commander n Chief a stupid name too?! Call the team The Washington D C Commanders Football team formerly known as the Redskins. Put the Capitol building on the helment?
I prefer them in the burgundy over gold combo, but prefer the burgundy britches with white jerseys. And please ditch the BFBS
Once upon a time we called that “yellow.”
Not in athletics, we didn’t.
Yellow is the color of deception and cowardice. No team wanted to be associated with those traits. Thus, “athletic gold”. And shiny gold is “old gold” or “Vegas gold”.
And this isn’t new, it’s been around for at least a couple of generations. I have books from my childhood in the late 1970s listing team colors as athletic gold. Do your research.
Im grown. Ill pass on researching the books in your study next to the Dr Seuss and Choose your own adventure books you pull off the shelf when you want to enjoy a paper cup of kentucky gentleman.
They actually made this uniform a lot better by bringing back the gold pants. Burgundy and gold really fits well together. It should be their primary home uniform going forward. I hope the gold pants are worn with the white jerseys as well. Never wear white socks or tights with these pants. The team should’ve never dropped the gold pants in the first place. These would look good with the black jerseys as well.
I hope the Detroit Lions wear their silver pants this weekend with their blue jerseys. I felt insulted that they went with the all blue or blueberries uniform to debut the new uniforms on the big SNF stage. They’ve been superstitious in that organization too much thinking a mono combo will help them win games which is stupid.
One last thing, after seeing this move made, I hope the Giants bring the gray pants back full time. The blue on gray and white on gray combos always completed their uniforms to me.
Every time I see this combo I do a double take to see if it’s USC. Their burgundy looks more red now. Burgundy has more purple in the red, whereas an ASU or Minnesota’s maroon has more brown in their red.
All of those Foreskins’ throwbacks were gorgeous. I hope the Commie’s change it up very soon and have a more traditional uniform
A missed opportunity that the ‘Skins never threw back to the ‘59-‘64 burgundy/old gold look(which actually made their debut for the next-to-last game in ‘58)…featuring one of my favorite helmet designs of all time.
I definitely want stripes on the pants it adds sharpness and definition to the uniform
This will be the best this team has looked in a good long while. I didn’t realize the yellow pants were stripeless but then again none of their other pants have stripes. Fits the mold I guess. We’ll take what we can get! And a tiny part of me wonders what they would look like in black jerseys/yellow pants.
I missed the yellow pants. Best look with Burgundy jersey. Burgundy and Gold pants work well with white jersey. Miss the old jerseys tho.
I like the gold pants also, been a fan for 40+ years, but bad coaching and cutting team players, I’m starting to wonder.They look like shit once again, should have keep trace as starting quarterback!!!!!
Their best current combination in my eyes, but they have a really awful set of uniforms.
I’ve really never been a big fan of the yellow pants for Washington, but I’m glad they have some form of them again.
My own preference would be the WFT set from 2020, but put the stripes back on the helmet and replace the helmet number with a W logo on at least one side.
Give them alternate yellow pants with a triple-stripe to mix in sometimes, and add an alternate yellow helmet to wear occasionally. Burgundy/white/white sometimes, but not mono-burgundy.
Washington Football fan here, DC Native.
I feel like we should have rules to our uniform combinations here.
Home Vs. NFC East (and all Prime time Home): Burgundy Top + Gold Pants (or on road vs. Dallas)
Road Vs. NFC East (and all Prime time Road): White Top + Burgundy Pants
Home Vs. Everyone else: Burgundy top + White Pants
Road Vs. Everyone else: White Top + White Pants
Thursday: Color Rush (but the Black Jersey needs to be replaced)
Never forget when Washington refused to wear their all-yellow color rush uniforms :(
I’ve never understood why more teams don’t go with third-color pants. Teams that do it look great with the white or colored jerseys. Packers, 49ers, Raiders and (ick) Cowboys to name 4. Other teams have it in their arsenals, like the Eagles (throwbacks), Seahawks (throwbacks), Saints and Rams.
Fans don’t buy pants the way they buy jerseys, so it was never clear to me why teams would have multiple sets of pants. It’s a waste. Not saying every team needs to go this way; I would like the Bills in red pants or the Bears in orange pants, but it would work for a lot of teams.