The Denver Broncos have had some iconic uniform combinations throughout the years. Here are the five best in team history.
The Denver Broncos have some of the best uniform combinations and two of the most iconic logos in sports history.
There’s no way around the hyperbole, the team has just had some of the great uniforms in the NFL through the decades, and perhaps a major reason why they are so great is the fact that the team has played great in them.
It’s one thing to look good, it’s another entirely to win enough so that each uniform is associated with major moments in franchise history as far as winning is concerned.
But which Denver Broncos uniforms and uniform combinations are the best in team history?
We’re going to rank the top five, but you should know beforehand a few that did not make this list.
No, these Denver Broncos uniform combinations are not in the top 5
- The brown and yellow AFL uniforms
- The old-school uniforms with the goofy, cartoon-like horse
- The modern blue-on-blue combination
To any fans who really enjoy these uniform combinations, I’m sorry. They didn’t crack the list.
Modern fans of the team at least have some fond memories of the team wearing those hilariously bad AFL uniforms, including a home win against Tom Brady and the Patriots back in the 2009 season when Josh McDaniels was the team’s head coach.
Good times, indeed.
The old school uniforms I’m referring to are the uniforms the team wore starting in 1962 and through the majority of the 60s. Not even John Elway could make these uniforms look good, although he kind of does.
The modern blue-on-blue combination is contentious for so many fans. There are a lot of fans that absolutely love this kit for the Broncos but it just doesn’t quite hit like the top five on this list.
Let’s get to the five best uniform combinations in team history.
Denver Broncos best uniform combination no. 5: Color Rush
Get all of your traffic cone jokes out of the way now.
Could these uniforms be better?
Yes.
The Broncos could pair the color rush jersey with a white version of the pants and blue socks and it would be *chef’s kiss*.
With that being said, the color rush uniform is specifically designed to be as loud as possible and that is certainly accomplished.
The reasons for this uniform’s inclusion in the top five are many.
First and foremost, it’s an outstanding combination of the old and new. The old-school helmet design combined with the new navy blue is a very clean look.
Not every fan loves the navy anymore, and I get it — that’s been the team’s primary uniform color for over 20 years now and all good things must eventually come to an end.
As much as some fans love the older shade of blue, this color combination is outstanding, even with the orange pants.
Is it too much orange? Yes. But it’s important to keep in mind — orange is the Broncos’ color, so having too much of it is irrelevant.
If the Broncos wore this uniform every single week, it would be tiring, but they currently wear it just one time a year.
The block numbers, the old school logo on the helmet, the drastically different stripes compared to the standard uniforms…
Everything comes together with the color rush to make this one of the top uniform combinations in team history.
Denver Broncos’ best uniform combination no. 5: Primary home (2012-present)
It’s easy to forget, but over a decade ago, fans all over Broncos Country were screaming for the team to change the team’s primary jersey to an orange one instead of navy blue.
Finally, in 2012, the team obliged and made the former alternate uniform combination the team’s primary home uniform.
And it was glorious, because along with the uniform change came the return of no. 18, worn by Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning with the permission of Broncos great Frank Tripucka.
For many Denver Broncos fans, the period of 2012-15 represents the “glory days” of football in the Mile High City.
Not every current member of Broncos Country is old enough to have witnessed the entire career of John Elway, and like me, some of us became fans of the team as kids when the Broncos were a force in the late 90s.
These orange uniforms were not really part of that era of Broncos football at all, but they became a beloved alternate as soon as the team started wearing them in the early 2000s.
These uniforms represent some incredible memories we now have as fans.
Peyton Manning slinging 53 touchdowns to the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas, and Wes Welker.
Von Miller etching his place in team history as arguably the best l player to ever don the orange and blue.
Even these last handful of years, which have been really tough, now get a significant boost from the arrival of Russell Wilson, who was introduced in the bright orange home jersey.
The Broncos’ primary uniforms have probably had their time for this season of team history. A decade as the team’s primary jersey is probably plenty long when you have other options and combinations that look good, but this jersey will forever have some of the best memories for modern fans attached to it.
Denver Broncos top uniform combo no. 3: Primary away (1997-present)
I feel bad putting this uniform combination all the way down at no. 3, because my goodness does it look good.
This uniform combination is maybe my personal no. 1 when the Broncos wear it in domed stadiums or stadiums with a retractable roof.
There is a massive difference in how the orange and blue pop on this uniform when the Broncos are playing in cities like Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, Glendale, and other cities with some natural light creeping in through the dome with the stadium lights.
Just look it up if you don’t believe me. There’s a huge difference.
Either way, I feel like when you see these uniforms in places like Minnesota, you get to see just how amazing this uniform combination is. It makes me wish that we could see every Denver Broncos uniform combination in the same lighting just to be able to judge them all fairly.
I know a lot of fans are sick of the navy blue because of how long the team has been using it (since 1997) but there’s no question that it is a good look and especially on this uniform combination, the team colors pop.
As good as this uniform is in terms of making the team colors pop, I think it serves the overall design of the uniform and the number font the best as well.
The Broncos have won two Super Bowls in this uniform combination.
Denver Broncos top uniform combination no. 2: Primary home and away uniforms (1968-1996)
I feel like a lot of you are going to call this one a hot take, and you may even have good reason for it.
Putting this uniform combination at no. 2 on the list was not considered lightly, though.
The Denver Broncos have some great uniform combinations, as I stated previously, and I think this one is arguably the best.
I would have put my top two in a tie but you can’t do that with a list like this.
You’ve got to make tough decisions.
Is there anything not to like about this uniform combination? I don’t think so.
It incorporates the Broncos’ primary color — orange — in a beautiful way with the orange top, stripe down the side of the pants, and socks.
The blue helmet, number/text trim, and additional striping really pop especially on the away uniforms.
I absolutely love these uniforms and I love how timeless they are.
Block numbers, simple stripes, and the classic “D” logo are all vintage and therefore they are extremely “in” right now in terms of the fashion world.
With that being said, these uniforms are also associated with a lot of disappointment and hard growth for the Denver Broncos as a franchise.
There was a lot of winning in these uniforms, but the team experienced some serious devastations in the Super Bowls it reached with these uniforms.
Not that those experiences diminish how good these uniforms look, but for a certain sect of the fan base, they don’t evoke the best feelings.
Now that the NFL is allowing teams to use multiple helmets during the season, it would be an egregious mistake if the Broncos didn’t go back to these uniforms at least once to throw it back.
This kit hasn’t been worn since 2001, and 21 years is long enough.
Denver Broncos top uniform combination no. 1: Alternate home (2012-present)
For all the fans that believe the primary uniform combo from the 70s, 80s, and 90s is better than this, I’m sorry.
That’s not an incorrect belief. My list is not meant to speak for all of Broncos Country but I believe i will make a strong case for the Denver Broncos’ current alternate home uniform as the best uniform in team history.
Let’s start off with a primary factor that has quickly come into play — nostalgia.
This uniform is, at this point, a throwback. The Broncos went away from this as the primary home uniform in 2012 and it was first introduced back in the 1997 season.
The uniform itself is a thing of beauty from a design perspective, from the Broncos logo to the stripes on the side of the jersey and the pants.
This uniform is entirely unique. The font scheme was never before used by any NFL team. The side stripes were completely unique to the NFL when they were introduced and they’ve since been copied by countless high school and college programs around the country.
You can’t go into a city in the US without some high school having ripped off the Denver Broncos’ logo in some fashion.
This iconic look was one of a kind at the time and it remains a staple to this very day.
The navy blue top with the pop of orange running down the side with white pants is as clean of a look as you will find in today’s NFL.
The triple stripe on the center of the helmet coming to a point at the front is one of the nicest features of any helmet in football.
The logo is elite.
The colors go perfectly together.
The Broncos won their first Super Bowl in this uniform. They made it to back-to-back Super Bowls with this uniform as the primary home jersey.
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Champ Bailey became a Hall of Famer in this uniform.
The memories connected with it combined with the unique look make this, in my opinion, the best uniform combination in Denver Broncos history.