Eagles fans are freaking out after the Eagles posted a video featuring a helmet they haven’t worn since 1973
Could the team be teasing a new throwback style? Here’s what we know.
It’s been a while since Eagles fans last saw white helmets paired with kelly green wings on the field in Philly. The last time came over 50 years ago, in 1973, but after the team posted a seemingly innocent video that featured the retro style, some fans are dreaming of a potential return.
The video, posted Wednesday afternoon, featured Jalyx Hunt and new defensive back Riq Woolen blindly trying to match up different team helmets, but the comments were all focused on one thing: the white kelly green helmet that was curiously included in the lineup.
Across platforms, fans speculated. “Give us the white Kelly jerseys!” someone commented on TikTok, and below the video shared on X, someone responded, “Just take my money now if y’all are dropping the white kelly green.”
So it raises the question: Are the Eagles teasing a return of the vintage look?
Well, it’s complicated.
The team cannot just add another uniform or swap elements, like helmets, at random. The NFL imposes strict regulations. Per the league’s last update in 2024, teams are capped at four uniforms and three distinct helmet designs, and must give the league significant advance notice before using them. Of course, for the purposes of this game, the team needed a fourth helmet.
The Eagles’ current uniform lineup includes the midnight green home jerseys, the white-and-midnight green away uniforms, the all-black set, and the throwback kelly greens. Both the standard home and away uniforms use the midnight green helmet, while the other two uniforms have their own matching helmets. The throwback kelly green alternate uniform, when announced in 2023, sent fans into a frenzy to get their hands on the Harold Carmichael-and Randall Cunningham-era favorites.
» READ MORE: Timeline: Eagles uniform history through the years
Nostalgia is a powerful tool, and adding white kelly green uniforms and a matching helmet could be an opportunity to have fans lining up to get their hands on the vintage look.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts is certainly on board. In a video shared in May announcing the 2026 schedule, Hurts said he “needs” the white kelly greens to make a comeback, prompting Saquon Barkley to remind him, “Well, you got the power to change that, Mr. Hurts.”
Perhaps Hurts, and many fans, will get their wish. Hurts, after all, has a history of seeing those wishes come true. In 2021, he successfully pushed for the team to wear black pants with its white jerseys, so maybe the QB has some sway. But unless this is one of the best-kept secrets in Philly sports, it might take more than a year to see that come to fruition.
» READ MORE: Vic Fangio reveals that Jalen Hurts lost a step in 2025, but he’s back, which is huge for the Eagles | Marcus Hayes
Another possible path to seeing the retro design return is through the NFL and Nike “Rivalries” program, a community-inspired concept similar to MLB’s “City Connect” series. Over the next few seasons, the partnership plans to bring new uniforms to select teams during home games, alongside specialized merchandise — a possible opportunity for the Eagles to reintroduce the white kelly green look, but that wouldn’t happen until at least the 2027 season. This year’s teams are already locked in, with the eight teams in the NFC North and AFC South set to unveil their new uniforms on Aug. 25.
Outside of Hurts in May and the match-the-helmet video on Wednesday, the Eagles have not so much as whispered the words “white kelly green” anywhere. And it doesn’t look like they plan to acknowledge the flood of comments speculating over the style the team wore for only for parts of five seasons (1969-73). But if Eagles fans are anything, it’s dedicated and persistent, even, perhaps especially, when it comes to how they look in the stadium.
Earlier this year, the scenario seemed far-fetched, especially after the Eagles used a second-round draft pick on a tight end. Zach Ertz overcoming a serious injury to make a nostalgic return? It just didn’t feel like a possibility. Then rookie Eli Stowers got hurt in the preseason, and starter Dallas Goedert went down Week 2 vs. Tennessee. All of a sudden, the Eagles had a need. Now, the 35-year old Ertz has been tapped to fill it. The Inquirer's Jeff McLane explains how an unlikely reunion between Ertz and the Eagles came together, why both sides are hoping for more than a feel-good story, and which player on the roster could be affected by this move the most. Listen here.
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