The Chicago Bears are getting new players in the draft and new uniforms in the future.
The Bears’ regular home and away jerseys have gone largely unchanged since their inception back in the 1957 season. Preceding versions were close. But that is when the current navy, burnt orange, and white combination came to be. That is set to change in 2026 along with the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings.
It is part of a league-wide initiative that will begin during the 2025 season with the AFC East and NFC West, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Bears Getting New Uniforms as Part of NFL Initiative
Bears Getting New Look for ‘Rivalries Program’
“In what is likely the biggest uniform announcement since the introduction of Color Rush a decade ago, the NFL will introduce new uniforms beginning in the 2025 season that will be inspired by the local communities of the NFL teams,” Jones wrote on April 26. “The concept, dubbed the ‘Rivalries’ program by the NFL and apparel sponsor Nike, will be similar to what Major League Baseball and the NBA have done in recent years.
“Each team will be required to wear the jerseys for one home game against a divisional rival each year over a three-year period. Teams can choose to wear the jersey each year against the same divisional rival or across the division. And because the jerseys must be worn in home games, there wouldn’t be a game featuring both teams wearing the jerseys.”
Per Jones, teams’ current alternate sets, including throwbacks, will remain in their rotations.
Jones also pointed to the NFL’s decision to expand permitted use of alternate uniforms to four games in the regular season starting in 2025.
Bears Have Kept Uniforms Simple
Resistant to the current all-black/white look that teams around the NFL have begun to adopt, the Bears currently sport two true alternates. One has a modern orange version, and the other is a throwback to their 1936 season. The latter is the most extreme variation in the current rotation. It has three stripes that run from front to back on the helmet.
That look also features shoulder stripes that run over the top rather than along the profile.
The NFL abandoned its Color Rush initiative after three seasons. This program, due to its partial rollout schedule, is slated to run through the 2030 campaign. At the time, there was a belief that fans did not need such gimmicks.
There is also the undeniable revenue. Fans now have another jersey option to buy. That inevitably feeds the league that generated $23 billion in revenue in 2024, per Sports Pro’s Sam Carp in April.
Forbes values the Bears at $6.4 billion, ninth among NFL franchises.