What’s old is new again. The Washington Commanders unveiled fresh uniforms on Wednesday, with home and away looks that strongly resemble the looks the franchise wore when it won three Super Bowls from the 1982 to 1991 seasons.
Last year’s white throwback jersey, complete with a gold facemask and retro striping on the helmet and pants, will be a primary look in 2026. The much-maligned home jerseys will be replaced with a similar overhaul, with a burgundy base and white numbers with gold stitching.
In the video introduction, the team used footage of Hall of Famers from the Super Bowl years, including highlights of running back John Riggins and cornerback Darrell Green.
The primary home and away jerseys will also have the option to be paired with white, burgundy or gold pants.
Washington’s black uniforms also received a refresh. The alternate jersey’s confusing yellow numbers are gone, replaced by a burgundy font with gold stitching. The black helmet, like its burgundy counterpart, includes three stripes down the center.
The uniform even has a new name: “the Hail Raiser.”
Most notable for fans was the introduction of a new alternate logo on the black helmets: a block W with a spear moving through it.
Washington wore a spear on its helmets throughout the 1960s. However, the modern spears lack any feathers, as the Commanders continue to distance themselves from the American Indian imagery associated with their former Redskins name.
“The inclusion of the spear and its sharpest point — the spearhead or ’tip of the spear’ — symbolizes the top fighters, the front lines, those leading a mission who are unafraid to step into the fire,” the Commanders wrote in a news release. “This alternate logo is a joining of past and present, with the spear and the W interwoven at their center.”
Smaller details introduced included the reintroduction of a block number font for the burgundy and black uniforms. Players’ numbers will also appear on the shoulder pad for the first time since 2021.
“A detail from the past that had been re-incorporated just on last year’s Super Bowl Era alternates,” the Commanders wrote of the added feature. “The same style of numbering and lettering is consistent across all three uniforms.
The jerseys went on sale online Wednesday morning and received immediate acclaim from Washington supporters and uniform obsessives.
“We got the spear back,” one fan, Andre Yeager, wrote on X. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
“Grand slam,” wrote Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame.
Washington’s old looks, introduced during the Commanders’ rebrand under former owner Dan Snyder in 2022, were routinely listed among the worst in the league. Fans felt the first three Commanders-era uniforms looked generic and lacked the legacy associated with the franchise. The introduction of gold pants slightly improved the look, but Washington’s supporters were still left clamoring for the glory days.
The new uniforms rectified that misstep in the eyes of fans, though many over the years called for the spear logo to replace the Commanders’ W.
“They got it right,” a Commanders super fan known as Rev T wrote on X. “Hail the Commanders with that Redskins flavor all in the soul!”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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