Patriots finally bringing back awesome AFL throwback jerseys in 2022

The current New England Patriots uniforms are certainly a solid set (especially when compared to their Touchdown Elvis brethren in the late 90s), but they aren’t the best combination in team history. One has to wind back the clock to their AFL days to find their best unis ever.

When the franchise was founded as the Boston Patriots in 1960, they unveiled a snazzy new look that featured either blue and white or blue and red stripes on the side of the jersey and “Pat the Patriot” ready to snap the ball on the side of the helmet. This combo has tons of detail without being overly noisy. Perfection.

However, the NFL cracked down on uniform rules over the last decade, forcing the Patriots to lean on their modern navy blue and silver kits ever since. Now that the NFL is starting to loosen up on those restrictions, New England looks poised to make a major fashion statement in 2022.

The Patriots Hall of Fame confirmed that the red throwback jerseys will make a return in 2022. For the first time in a decade, New England will put on the same threads that John Hannah, Andre Tippett, Steve Grogan, and dozens of other Patriots legends wore in their careers.

The old-school New England Patriots uniforms are coming back.

The NFL bizarrely took a good chunk of throwback uniforms out of the rotation when they instituted a rule that only allowed for one color of helmet shell per team. With the rule being phased out in 2022, many teams may follow New England’s lead and opt for some old-school looks.

Fans of a certain age may remember when the Patriots and fellow AFL rivals like the Jets, Chiefs, and Titans all brought back their classic looks during the league’s 50th anniversary in 2010. New England may not be the only team that switches up their uniform combos. Could the Jets potentially don their New York Titans jersey in a rivalry game against the Pats?

The Patriots may have had most of their success in the Tom Brady era with the navy jerseys, but many of the signature moments in franchise history came with these old-school duds on. It’s nice to see them fully back in the rotation for 2022 and beyond.

Even if you look past the significance of these unis, they’re just a rock-solid combination due to the helmet Minuteman and vibrant red tops. Now that the NFL’s dumb rule has been axed, these unis are back in the lineup.