The Los Angeles Chargers debuted their newest set of uniforms back in 2020, as they officially became tenants of SoFi Stadium. In that set, they unveiled a primary light blue and white jersey, as well as white and gold pants, which they paired with a white helmet and gold cage, with light blue TV numbers, and a gold bolt outlined in light blue. They also introduced two alternate uniforms: an all-royal blue (which they deemed their “Royal Color Rush” uniform), and an all-navy (which they called their “Navy Color Rush” uniform).
In 2020, the “one shell rule” was still in effect, but the Chargers did something unique at the time: in order to create “matching” helmets for the royal CR uniform, they removed the helmet decals, swapping in a gold bolt with royal outline/royal numbers. For the navy CR uniform, they not only swapped in decals, but also a navy blue cage, for a “third” helmet.
From 2020 through 2023, the Chargers wore each alternate at least once a season. Following the 2023 season, the team announced it was eliminating the royal rush uniform, electing to wear their navy rush outfit as their sole alternate. It was a curious decision.
For reasons that were never fully explained, the Chargers decided to excise the royal alternate this season. Was this an internal decision by team staff? Did new Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, notoriously averse to alternates, make the call (and if so, was it because the navy alternate was more Michigan-like)? Or, as I hypothesized last week, that the Chargers are planning on introducing a navy shell in 2025? Did it have anything to do with merch sales? Whatever the reason, the team is moving ahead with just the all-navy alternates going forward.
But did the team pick the wrong alternate to ditch?
Since it was introduced in 2020, the Chargers have now worn the alt-navy uniforms six times (including their recent MNF game against the Ravens). Here are their opponents and results of those six games:
As you may have guessed before I posted the list, the Chargers have a perfect record in the navy alts. Unfortunately for them, they’re on the wrong side off every one of those six scores. That’s right — in six games wearing the mono-navy, the Chargers have lost every single one, for an 0-6 record.
Since 2020, the Chargers haven’t been great, but they haven’t been awful either. Here’s their W/L in those seasons: 2020: 7-9; 2021: 9-8; 2022: 10-7 (made playoffs); 2023: 5-12. Their only truly dismal season was 2023, and this year the team was 7-4 after their loss last Monday night in mono-navy. Their five year record (up to last Monday)? 38 wins and 40 losses. You’d figure with an almost .500 record, they’d have won at least one game in mono-navy.
Maybe it was their opponents? Here were the final records for each of their six opponents. 2020 Raiders: 8-8; 2020 Bills: 13-3; 2021 Patriots: 10-7; 2022 Seahawks: 9-8; 2023 Ravens: 13-4; 2024 Ravens: 8-4 (prior to yesterday’s game). About half the games were against teams at or just above .500, and only two were against two teams with 13 or more wins (which the Chargers might be expected to lose). But four of those games were against teams whose W/L records for the season were at or just above .500. You’d figure that they’d stand to win at least one of those games, especially since all were home games (even if fans in SoFi seem to be as much in support of the Chargers as their opponents). But nope. Not one win against any team in any mono-navy game.
So, if they had to drop one uni, did they do any better in mono-royal? Glad you asked. The team wore the royal rush four times over four seasons (one each in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023). Here are the results of those games and opponents:
• Decmeber 13, 2020: Defeated Atlanta Falcons 20-17
• December 12, 2021: Defeated New York Giants 37-21
• December 18, 2022: Defeated Tennessee Titans 17-14
• December 10, 2023: Lost to Denver Broncos 24-7
If you’re scoring at home, that’s a 3-1 record in the royal rush. That one loss came in a season in which they were 5-12.
As we’ve seen time and again, most recently with the Detroit Lions, superstitious teams have some odd uni-rituals. Clearly the Chargers aren’t one of them, because anyone looking at the records in both alternates would surely see the team performed significantly better in the royal than the navy rush. If one were basing their decision to ditch either alternate based on performance, the Chargers would have dumped the navy.
Now, we all know that uniforms don’t win or lose games, and as much as we’d love to attribute winning to a “lucky” or losing to an “unlucky” uniform, it’s still human nature to assign success/failure to a specific uniform. Just ask Cowboy fans about the curse of the “Bad Luck Blues.” There may be correlation between losses and “unlucky” uniforms, but there isn’t causation. Are the Lions winning because they’re wearing Monolulu blue at home or mono-white on the road, or are they just really good? Did they lose just once this season because they wore silver-gray pants? Of course not. But try telling that to superstitious teams and fans.
So did the Chargers pick the wrong alternate uniform to excise?
You tell me.
No, they didn’t. While I loved the fact that they had three different blue jerseys, I can’t for the life of me understand why the two LA football teams have almost identical colours. Anything to differentiate them is a good thing.
Hear, hear. But I am not a fan of the white navy navy navy look. Changing to navy helmets for this look will not improve it, but the royal of the Rams had to go.
The Chargers made the right call ditching the royal alternates. Honestly, the mono-royal uniforms felt like a cheap attempt to cling to their San Diego days, and it’s about time they fully embraced their new identity in Los Angeles. The navy alternates have a clean, professional look that aligns with the more modern and serious branding the team needs to project. Who cares about some superstitious nonsense or a losing streak in one specific uniform? Wins and losses have nothing to do with the fabric on players’ backs—if they’re losing in navy, it’s on the players and coaches, not the threads. Ditching the royal rush uniforms shows the Chargers are focused on looking forward, not backward. It’s time to leave nostalgia in the past.
This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me considering they were navy in San Diego a long time too. So why is the royal blue uniforms trying to “cling to San Diego” and having a an all navy that looks pretty similiar to their navy look in San Diego not. If what you are saying is true then they should have ditched both and came up with an entirely original alternate that was gold or something.
No. Royal and Yellow is the Rams identity. Navy is perfect as an alt for the Chargers. Uniforms do not win or lose football games.
Yes, Yes they did. Royal is far superior to Navy. Now if the Navy had yellow bolts, white pants, and a navy helmet, that would be what they should have kept.
“Seems like some people here are clinging to nostalgia instead of embracing progress. Daegan, ‘Royal is far superior to Navy’? Based on what—your personal taste? The Chargers are carving out their identity in Los Angeles, not copying anyone. And Charlie, the Rams and Chargers having similar colors? That’s like saying two teams can’t share a city unless they have neon pink helmets to stand out. Let’s focus on what matters: the Chargers embracing the future, not hanging on to a past that’s long gone.”
I think you can assume that anyone saying uniform A is better than uniform B is saying so on the basis of personal taste.
Who are you quoting?
I don’t think it’s controversial at all to say that two teams from the same city, in the same league, shouldn’t have the same colour palette.
Wow, I didn’t realize we were all so nostalgic for the Chargers’ “good ol’ days” of, what, not winning a Super Bowl in royal? Let’s be real—royal and yellow will always scream “Rams.” The Chargers finally realizing that and going with navy as a clean alt is just good branding. And Charlie, I get it, you loved the blues—but maybe what they’re doing now is just too forward-thinking for some. LA needs teams with strong, distinct identities. Sorry if progress hurts your feelings. And you’re absolutely right—uniforms don’t win games. That’s why this whole royal jersey debate feels like grasping at straws.
I don’t really understand this comment, nor the fact that the one below it is exactly the same but posted by a different user.
Wow, I didn’t realize we were all so nostalgic for the Chargers’ “good ol’ days” of, what, not winning a Super Bowl in royal? Let’s be real—royal and yellow will always scream “Rams.” The Chargers finally realizing that and going with navy as a clean alt is just good branding. And Charlie, I get it, you loved the blues—but maybe what they’re doing now is just too forward-thinking for some. LA needs teams with strong, distinct identities. Sorry if progress hurts your feelings. And Bat, you’re absolutely right—uniforms don’t win games. That’s why this whole royal jersey debate feels like grasping at straws.
Yes, they ditched the wrong one. The Royal is a much better looking uni.
I think both uniforms would look better with contrasting pants. The royal jerseys loom exponentially better on a hanger, but the on field execution is terrible.
They’ve played good teams in the Navy and they played bad teams in the royal. It’s not that complicated
Also yeah they got rid of Royal because of the Rams. Already bad enough you play in their stadium, can’t be wearing their uniform colors as well.
They ditched the right uni. The navy is reminiscent of the seau years and those were great years to be a chargers fan even if they weren’t terribly successful. There was just a feel to the team (granted that goodwill lives in San Diego) that was fun and optimistic and easy to love. I get that it’s part of that “let’s go dark, it’s the 90’s” mentality, but navy shouldn’t be lumped in with midnight green, burgundy, etc. it’s a super clean look, particularly with the white helmet.
Having two alternate jerseys that are just different shades of blue was always stupid, so ditching either of them is an upgrade. Record-wise, you can certainly justify they ditched the wrong one, but from a pure aesthetic perspective, navy is further away from powder blue than royal is, so if you really want a true alternate, keeping the navy makes more sense.
The real crime, of course, is the pants. The mono-look, particularly with a white helmet, looks ridiculous in both royal and navy. White pants would improve either look 10000000%.
It had slipped past me until you mentioned the other day that they had ditched the royal blue alt. And yes, they 100% made the wrong call. Even before the 2020 redesign, the royal color rush was one of the only color rushes I really liked. And post redesign, the all-royal was still a great combination, whereas the all-navy is something you have to endure once a season.
I’ll miss the royal, but I suppose it did look too ‘Ram-y’ to be kept. I’m optimistic that Air Coryell fauns may still make a comeback someday.
I for one had hoped that LAR would have went back to a Fearome Foursome navy/white look rather than the new-fangled riff on the royal/yellow they went with…but they turned out great.
They all look great (without monochrome anyway), but the Chargers going with the awesome powder blue look as a primary and keeping the navy as an alternate is completely defensible. Navy is farther away from powder than royal…otherwise why have an alternate if you don’t even notice a difference? (For example, see the silver alternates from the early Tom Brady era that the Patriots offered but then retired.) Then as a bonus you can say that the navy set is an homage to Junior Seau and that other very good era of Chargers football. (That era wasn’t that far away, LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers wore the navy set!) Superstition is a different question and hindsight is 20/20, but purely on athletics aesthetics, the Chargers did a perfect course of action based on what was in their closet most recently.
I’ll choose royal over navy 100 times out of 100.
BYU, now and the Blues, the Islanders, the Sabres, Pitt U previously.
No more navy.
1. Dear Micah/Latavius, you posted the exact same thing twice. Should keep your burner account on a separate browser, or admit that you are Kevin Durant.
2. To those arguing for navy or royal because royal and athletic gold are “Rams colors”, then sure – so then keep powder blue/athletic gold as “Chargers colors”. It’s a great palate by itself. How about an athletic gold jersey? Helmet? Powder blue pants? Navy/athletic gold is OK but it’s been done by a lot of colleges (Michigan, Cal, Kent State, Toledo, to name 4) and teams in other sports when royal blue became uncool (Brewers… even the Rams went navy and old gold for a while). So why blend in when you can own powder blue/athletic gold to be another team in navy/athletic gold
I’m not a huge fan of all one color in football, but it works really well for the Chargers. Only change I would make is changing the numbers to yellow and adding a navy helmet with the Navy/Yellow bolt and a yellow number. Get rid of white on the uniform completely
They should stick with white/powder blue/white full time, no alternates. But given the question: 1 Rams are already royal blue and yellow, it makes sense to avoid that, and 2 I think given the rumors about the alternate navy helmet, they probably kept the navy set to go full mono navy in the future. So I have no issue with them ditching the royal blue alt and keeping the navy version.
My initial answer to your headline question is Yes. I like the boldness of the royal blue, which is not the same blue that their stadium mates wear now. My answer is not a matter of nostalgia, and I respect those of you who prefer the navy kits.
Without putting a picture of Dan Fouts or Kellen Winslow next to the royal kit, I think the new royal uni looks bolder – and that may be because we never saw the “Super Chargers” in blue pants. (That was a great celebration song, too!)
Based on my long-term memory – which I am pleased to say is still pretty sharp – these numbers, starting with being italicized, have a bolder yellow than the Air Coryell unis did. Besides, those numbers had a space between the numerals and the outline. That said, I always preferred their road jerseys, and I bought a custom road jersey from Merle Harmon’s Fan Fair in 1987 during my summer internship at the Amateur Boxing Federation in Colorado Springs. They couldn’t do the white between the numbers and yellow outlines, but it still looked pretty solid. I just wish I had gotten a bigger size, IYKWIM.
So, yes, I think they ditched the wrong set, but I don’t hate the navy uni; I do like that they have the matching color on the helmet bolts. I think it would be cool if they put complementary yellow-gold pants with the navy jerseys, with the bolts down the sides in either a navy bolt outlined in white, or vice versa. And that might be their best alternate combo; it’s worth a shot, Chargers equipment crew.
I never bought into the mono looks anyways, but it was okay for the navy because of the way the yellow lights up during night games. I like the royal blue though from the Coryell era. They should paired those up with the yellow pants. I’d bring them back next season and pair them up that way. Chargers need some royal blue pants too for the road, they wear the white pants way too much.
My overly simple opinion is that they ditched the wrong alternate set. Royal blue/yellow is a fantastic, yet underutilized color combination, and the NFL currently has way too many navy teams.
No, but they’re only half done. The mono Navy should be ditched as well in favor of 90s throwbacks. And just to prove I’m not against new jerseys I think a yellow jersey with would look pretty good. Could look similar to the LSU look going white/yellow/white. Or go really out there with a powder blue helmet.
I think the Royal is the better looking set, but agree with those who say it is too similar to the Rams.
But, why not just have an alternate that is within your current color pallette? Stay in powder, yellow and white, and have a jersey, pants and socks in each color and rotate through them. Stay looking like versions of today’s Chargers, not the ones from yesteryear.
The only thing I really don’t like about the navy alts is the dark bolt on the white helmet. I think it would look better with a navy helmet and an yellow outline-only bolt matching the pants and sleeves. That yellow outline on navy looks really sharp, but the helmet interferes with that.
Both the royal and navy sets seem superfluous, but I think the royal is more-so, even if I don’t mind the way it looks. They’re main set is so strong, anything else seems to take more away from that than it adds.
I personally like the royal over the navy, but can understand if they want to differentiate from the Rams.
Now only if the Broncos tonight could stop fooling me into thinking I’m watching the Chargers…
I don’t care for the navy Color Rush, but I deeply dislike the premise of this article. The conceit that a uniform can be lucky or unlucky, and embraced/rejected accordingly–independent of how good or bad it looks–is the enemy of anyone who cares about uni aesthetics. We can’t usefully humor it.
I don’t care what a team’s record is in a particular uniform; I care about aesthetics, which is the premise of this site. And the sheer volume of Navy uniforms has clearly jumped the shark. A team called Chargers with a lightning bolt logo has no business wearing a Matte Navy uniform with minimal contrast, any more than a team called Ravens should have a purple bird on its helmets. [Don’t get me started on the superfluous B.] Just tell me that Royal uni doesn’t make you think Electric Blue and I’ll go back to changing the ribbon on my typewriter.
I don’t care what a team’s record is in a particular uniform; I care about aesthetics
Thank you.
Sometimes I think I’m the only one.
I was going to say yes until I read these comments and was reminded royal is a Rams color.
Royal is for Rams, navy is for Patriots, Texans, Cowboys, Seahawks, Bears, Titans, who else? Stick with the powder blue, yellow and white (maybe put in some navy for bolt or number outlines, like Tampa Bay uses orange in their regular uniforms) and make combinations out of that. It will always look good
Would rather the Chargers be ridiculous and have an all yellow color rush uniform with a white helmet.
Keep the Navy Jersey, but pair it with the White helmet, introduce alternate white pants with a Navy Bold outlined in gold (like the alternate helmet sticker)
Too bright for my taste, but I think a yellow jersey with powder helmet and pants would look pretty nice.
I don’t think Harbaugh is averse to alts.
He was the one that brought back white pants to the Michigan away unis…. And then introduced blue pants to what was thought to be untouchable maize pant home unis.
Regardless, the navy Chargers uniforms stink. As do ALL mono color and mono whites.
Yes they did. Navy is almost as overdone as black.
Doesn’t really make a difference to me. More darker colors and less of the powder blue with banana yellow is a good thing, and the eventual addition of blue helmets (hopefully WITHOUT the numbers on the side) will be even better.
IMO, it doesn’t get better than light blue jerseys/gold pants.
I think keeping the navy was the right call. Ideally they should just do a legit throwback to the LT/Seau era. But with keeping the modern jersey, there’s no doubt that some tweaks are needed. A navy helmet is necessary, white pants would be great, and/or bringing back the white bolts with yellow outline.
Yes they did. The Royal Blue was part of the SD Chargers legacy and glory years of the early 1980’s. Navy Blue was used in SD starting in 1985 and worn until they left in 2017. The Royal is a more vibrant color and looks better on the field than the bland all navy.
I agree with a lot of other folks here— moving to Navy is all about differentiating from the LA Rams’ brand.
The royal alt with a Rams helmet would look better than all their current uniforms IMO