The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Friday they will wear a new uniform combination for their season opener against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil on Sept. 6, as they’ll pair their black alternate helmets with their white jerseys and black pants for the first time.
The Eagles actually debuted the black alternate helmets in a 40-33 win over the Packers in 2022, but they were replaced by their Kelly green throwback uniforms last season, when the NFL only permitted teams to have two different shells.
The NFL has since relaxed that rule, allowing teams that underwent a rebrand this offseason to introduce a third shell before opening it up to the rest of the league in 2025, which is why the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and New York Jets unveiled three different designs this year.
That likely means the Eagles received an exemption from the league to reintroduce the black helmet one year earlier than expected, though the NFL could potentially consider them updating the wordmark on their jerseys this offseason as a redesign, too.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia has worn white jerseys with black pants four times since the combination was first introduced in a 30-13 win at the Denver Broncos in 2021, though it was obviously paired with the team’s standard Midnight green shell in the past.
The decision to wear black helmets, white jerseys and black pants likely stems from the Eagles’ desire to match the colors worn by Corinthians, the soccer club that plays at Neo Química Arena in São Paulo, where the game will take place next Friday.
Philadelphia is considered the home team for this matchup, so the decision to wear white jerseys also forces Green Bay into wearing green jerseys, just like Corinthians’ biggest rival, Palmeiras, in a stadium where the color – and opposing fans – are “banned.”
That said, this will be the only time the Eagles wear black helmets this season – unless the NFL makes another exception – as teams are currently only allowed to wear alternate and/or throwback uniforms up to three times per season.
They previously announced they’ll wear their Kelly green throwback uniforms against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 3 and Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 29, leaving no room for them to wear the all-black look they donned three times in 2022.
