
A week ago, I noted the new NFL trend of going “Icy White” (all four elements — helmet, jersey, pants and socks — are white). But not every team created a uniform specifically designed to be Icy White: some of those are simply teams’ regular uniform looks, are the remnants of the Color Rush program, or are throwbacks. Ten teams in total had all-white uniforms for 2024, which I believe is a record.
But a more noxious trend involving teams wearing all white — albeit with a non-white helmet — has emerged. These “Almost” Icy White teams have deliberately worn white jerseys, pants and socks simply to create the (almost) mono-white look, even though their primary home or road uniforms have either color pants or socks (or both). Excluding the 10 teams who wore Icy Whites, how many teams would you guess have worn all-white below the neck at least once during the 2024 season?
If you have a pen handy, write down how many teams you think sported the “almost IW” look. At the end I’ll reveal the number. Let’s see how close you come.
Here are all the teams (excluding the 10 included in the full Icy White column) who have gone Icy White below the neck.
Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have worn this look several times over the years, including three times in 2024.
Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens wore this look twice during the regular season, and in last weekend’s Divisional Playoff loss to the Bills.
Carolina Panthers

The Panthers wore a record number of different uniform combinations in 2024, including this almost Icy White look, which was worn once.
Cleveland Browns

OK, this one comes with an asterisk. Not only do the Browns have an all-white uniform (1946 fauxback), they also sport this all-white below the neck with white, striped socks (mostly). But this isn’t an “almost” Icy White created just for the sake of creating one, this is one of the Browns’ primary uniform combos. It has a long historical precedent — so it doesn’t quite fall into the same category as the others on this list, but it’s still an all-white below the neck look.
Denver Broncos

The Broncos got a new uniform set for 2024, and with it, an almost unlimited number of possible uniform combinations. Some of their combos were excellent, but the team had a tendency to pair same-color socks and pants often. Their almost Icy Whites were worn three times in 2024 (which is at least two times too many).
Detroit Lions

The Lions, perhaps more than any other team, embody the new trend of going white below the neck. You can’t really argue with the results though: the Lions wore their all-white uniforms eight times during the 2024 season, and didn’t lose in them once. But the white stripeless pants and white socks give the appearance of yoga pants, making this one of the least attractive all-white below the neck uniforms in football.
Houston Texans

The Texans were another team to redesign their uniforms for 2024, and they too have the ability to go an entire season without repeating a uni combo. Like the Ravens, the Texans wore this uniform twice during the regular season, and once in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Both the Ravens and Texans lost their playoff games in their almost Icy Whites.
Jacksonville Jaguars

Like the Panthers (and a couple other teams), the Jaguars could go an entire season without repeating a uniform combo. As such, the almost Icy Whites were worn just once in 2024. Like the Lions, Saints and Commanders, the Jaguars’ white pants are stripeless, so the all-white below the neck look is even Icier. Which isn’t a good thing.
Kansas City Chiefs

This one doesn’t quite come with an asterisk, but even the Chiefs aren’t immune to the Icy White look. I prefer the Chiefs in white jerseys/white pants, but not if they pair that with mostly white socks, as seen above. That white over white looks much better when paired with red striped socks.
Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are one of the few teams to appear on the full Icy White and almost Icy White lists — not only did they wear a brand new, all white uniform for one game this season, they also paired their purple buckets with their all-white road uniforms. Fortunately, the team only wore this combo once. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they wore these in the final week of the season, losing in them to the Lions (and losing out on the No. 1 and a bye in the process).
New Orleans Saints

We’ve become so accustomed to the Saints wearing all-black below the neck at home and all-white on the road, but they actually *only* wore this particular combo twice during the 2024 season. Their almost Icy Whites look particularly awful, since they, like a handful of other teams, have white stripeless pants. But while the team only wore the standard road all-whites twice, they did also pull off the almost Icy Whites/Color Rush uniforms two other times, once with their alternate black helmet, and once with their gold helmets. At least when they wear the CR unis, with the excellent pants stripe, those don’t look nearly as bad as the regular white stripeless pants.
New York Jets

The Jets are another team to appear on the full Icy Whites and almost Icy Whites roster. The team got an entirely new set of uniforms for 2024, but thankfully they avoided the almost IW look for all but one game (they also wore full white uniforms for their Super Bowl III throwbacks). Still, this is a look the Jets — and almost every other NFL team — should avoid. Even wearing it once a season is one time too many.
Philadelphia Eagles

Until I double-checked, I had assumed the Eagles wore this almost IW combo much more often than they did — it was actually a look they wore only once (although they also wore mono-white in all three of their preseason games). The Eagles tend to wear white pants and hosiery with their green jerseys often (all but one game in which they wore white tops), but this year they toned town the mono-white below the neck. Every other game in which the Iggles wore white jerseys, they were paired with either their green or black pants.
San Francisco 49ers

The Niners basically get a pass here, as this uniform is their old Color Rush/1994 fauxback. (Their regular uniforms have gold pants, so the almost Icy White look is only possible when they wear their road CR/fauxback.) They’re not required to wear white socks with this, but most players choose to do so. The guys who pair this with red socks may face fines, but it’s an infinitely better look than the almost IW.
Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks, fortunately, rarely sport the almost Icy White look, but they did so for one game in 2024. All the other times the team wore white jerseys, they eschewed the mono-white below the neck. Since the team so rarely even wears white pants, they should just ditch them and wear their silver-gray pants (or navy pants) only. If they must wear the white pants, then they should pair those with navy socks.
Tennessee Titans

The Titans are another team with a seemingly unlimited number of uni combos at the ready, so it’s no surprise they’ve gone navy/white/white/white this season. Fortunately, they only wore this look twice in 2024.
Washington Commanders

The Commanders are another team I would have expected to wear this look a bunch of times, but it was worn only once during the 2024 season. Because they (like a few others) have stripeless white pants, their almost IW look is terrible. The team is currently riding their burgundy yoga pants look during their playoff run (and I’m sure we’ll see it again this Sunday against the Eagles). That look is so bad I’d actually prefer they wear the almost IW look instead.
I get that the uniforms aren’t designed to appeal to me and Icy Whites (or almost IW) are the new fashion trend. I get that players and some fans love the newest trend. We seem to be moving more and more towards mono-dark vs. mono-light matchups. But what I really don’t understand is why a team would want to wear all-white below the neck, since they end up looking very much like every other team that does so. Spy vs. Spy (or mono-dark vs. mono-white) will continue to plague uni matchups going forward. Hopefully next season will see fewer teams doing this — but I wouldn’t bet on it.
What do you guys think of the almost IW look? Is it better or worse than full mono-white? Are there any of the almost IW looks that you think are good looking?
Fire away!
This where i wish not just for colored hosiery to come back for white pants but the old school white crew socks over colored tights.
In my opinion, the Ravens, Vikings and Texans pull this look off really well. Huge shoutout to the Giants’ color rush set for also pulling off this type of look very well, despite not wearing the color rush uni this year. (I may be biased since I am a Giants fan though)
I counted 17, but the Seahawks slipped by me. Disappointed to learnt they wore the fake icy white, navy socks look much better. Didn’t realize the Raiders were wearing their color rush with silver pants now.
At least when the pants have a stripe, it doesn’t look AS bad, but for the handful that are just straight white like the Lions…oof, those are really not good.
Much respect for Brandon Aiyuk, the 49er who wore red socks with the fauxback uniform. They should still retire it and wear the Montanas every week.
Icy White is not good. Almost Icy White is marginally better because of the helmets inject a little color. Team-color socks or team-color trousers are infinitely better, and I’m good with either of these.
Football looks best when tops do not match pants and pants do not match socks.
Now get off my lawn before I really start yelling at those clouds.
Phil, You and I couldn’t be more aligned on this topic. I severely dislike the yoga pants look whether it be white or team color. A team’s uniform is intended to give them a visual identity, but as you point out going all white means a fan can’t immediately identify whether they are seeing highlights from one team vs another. If they insist on white jerseys and pants I do think a dark/white/white/dark combo looks far better.
Y’all going to do the new PLL Championship Serires Jerseys?
Yes!
Those will be coming soon and reviewed by our PLL expert.
I used to think I preferred the Chiefs with white pants when wearing white jerseys, but I realized that this was only because of the history of me watching them in the 1960s and 1970s with this look. The matching red helmet and pants looks great, and better, with their white jersey.
I think I’m in the minority in preferring the Chiefs to go white over white versus white over red. That being said, I still very much like the white/red look, I just prefer the Chiefs in white/white. YMMV
+1
And I very much like the white/white look, but I just now prefer the white/red look. I also think that they are less likely the wear red socks with the red pants as much as they wear the white socks with white pants.
Until the Saints fix the stripe on their gold pants, this is my favorite look. No stripes are better that wrong stripes.
Just curious as to what you mean by fixing the stripe on the Saints’ gold pants? The solid black stripe has been there since 1986.
For Cleveland, they wore Brown sox with Brown Jerseys during 2024. They wore White Sox with White Jerseys. Regardless of what pant or helmet they wore. The Browns look of all white sans helmet is a part of their “normal” rotation.
The remainder are a mish mash. It’s almost like you put a jersey, pant and sock in a basket and what you pick gets used. Uniform is short for Uniformity, e.g., uniformity of look for the FANS to be able to identify their TEAM. Not some bloody fashion statement worked out with Nike.
I believe the GUD and @NFLFashion Twitter accounts coined this look the “South Polar” or the “Antarctic Whites” to differentiate between these looks and full Icy White. (this would make a Dolphins white/white/white/aqua look be a North Polar for Arctic White as well
My absolute LEAST favorite look in football. No symmetry. And why does mono white get a pass, while mono anything else doesn’t?
It just looks cheap. They can afford a 2nd color pair of pants.
‘Bama, Old Browns, Broncos, Giants, etc white pants and white jersey with standard helmet. Hate it, Awful look.
Only time it works is 100% white, ala Michigan State when they don the white helmets, or what the Vikings did this year.
Who cares if it’s “Classic ‘Bama.” It looks like garbage. Buy some red pants already.
It fits in with the chess piece aesthetics of today, so popular with players and because of that with fans. I hate it but I am not a player. Most players do not wear real socks anymore, they wear tights with short white socks. This may have caused this to emerge as well. I long for long, colorful (or white with a colored top) tube socks, preferably in team striping versions.
Can we just call it… White? Does anyone else cringe a little bit every time they read “Icy White”? What’s icy about it? Ice isn’t even white most of the time! And most of these games are played in warm or even hot weather.
I prefer the white jersey and white pants look only once per season as a change of pace on the road and I prefer teams to have at least two contrasting elements.
It’s becoming too trendy espeically with white socks if half the teams are doing it. I dig teams wearing color socks with white pants like the Chiefs did on Christmas as you said.
The all whites only look good on Chiefs and Browns because of their striped socks. All the others look really dumb, especially the Lion’s long johns look.