Say what you want about the teams that the Las Vegas Raiders have put on the field over the years. Well, the last two decades, really. They have been unsuccessful, disjointed, and poorly coached. The franchise has lacked direction for as long as most of its loyal supporters can remember.
But the Raiders are still an iconic brand. People around the globe know The Shield when they see it, and the Silver and Black are iconic colors. Every professional sports team wants to have at least a black alternate, and when you pair those colors together, folks know which team you're talking about.
And while the disrespect for Las Vegas has been rampant over the years, it has been just as well-warranted as it has been frustrating for the fanbase. But not giving the Raiders their proper due for what makes them a classic and quintessential NFL franchise? That's a bridge too far.
Las Vegas Raiders ranking 14th on NFL's uniform list is an abomination
Sports Illustrated's Mike Kadlick recently ranked all 32 NFL teams based on their uniform combinations. Although it felt like a foregone conclusion that the Silver and Black would be at the very top, or at least close to it, Kadlick had them at... No. 14?
"Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins called his new team’s jerseys the best in pro sports upon signing with the club this past March. Las Vegas’s look—silver and black across the board, with not much room for error—is certainly sharp and will likely remain untouched as long as they’re still the Raiders, but at what point does it become too old? Only time will tell. For now, their occasional switch from black to silver numbers on their white jerseys is the most change we’re going to get on the Strip."
Let's sum this up in one sentence: Cousins is right and Kadlick is wrong.
Not only are the Raiders' uniforms timeless and slick, but they are envied by the rest of the NFL and the pro sports world. As we mentioned earlier, it seems like every team has adopted at least one uniform that is predominantly black, if not changed their primary colors altogether.
Kadlick's point about Las Vegas' uniforms being sharp with not much room for error is immediately discredited by his assertion that they could become too old. But they haven't yet, and ageless is ageless. The Raiders' uniforms have stood the test of time, and there is no evidence to the contrary.
Making matters worse is that all three of Las Vegas' AFC West foes are ranked ahead of it on this list, with the Kansas City Chiefs checking in at No. 11, the Denver Broncos at No. 10, and the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 1. These are almost more mind-boggling than the Raiders being at No. 14.
By no stretch of the imagination are the Broncos' uniforms even slightly appealing, let alone a top 10 set in the league. I will concede that their old-school, John Elway-era jerseys are quite nice. But Denver absolutely lost the plot in the last few decades with their colors and uniforms.
Kansas City has classic threads, but that is about it. Their shade of red (or is it orange?) is an eyesore, and they seem to understand that their accompanying primary color of yellow is so hideous that they hide it on every one of their uniforms. It's barely implemented because it's not a good-looking color.
Now, the Chargers have some solid colorways. Their powder blue uniforms are solid, and the navy jerseys aren't half-bad either. But declaring them the best in the NFL when the Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys exist, among others, is just plain ridiculous.
You can criticize the Raiders for a lot of things. You can talk all the trash you want about their performance over the years and their instability. But the one thing that you can't take from them is their iconic logo, colors and uniforms. But Las Vegas was just disrespected on that front as well.
Add us as a preferred source on Google