The 2024 NFL season hasn’t even begun yet, but Denver Broncos fans are already facing a big “might-have-been.”
Ahead of the 2023 season, the Seattle Seahawks announced they would bring back their retro royal blue and forest green uniforms that the team wore between 1983 and 2001 as a throwback option. The team announced on Monday that it would wear this throwback ensemble against the Broncos in Week 1.
Takin' it back to the old school.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 2, 2024
We'll be rocking the Throwbacks for Week 1.
📰 » https://t.co/JVQqEzYq8E pic.twitter.com/pWRSvgRWIg
That announcement left the Broncos with the opportunity to match Seattle’s retro energy, as earlier this year the team made the long-awaited reveal of its own throwback uniforms, resurrecting the design used between 1968 and 1996 to the delight of fans. Wearing the uniforms in Week 1 would have been a callback to the days when Seattle was a member of the AFC West, and one of Denver’s fiercest rivals.
However, the Broncos have already released a uniform schedule for 2024, and since NFL rules limit the number of times an alternate combination can be worn, they will not be able to pit their new throwbacks against the Seahawks’ when the teams meet on Sept. 8.
The Broncos will wear their throwbacks in Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders, and again in Week 18 against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs.
Denver does have a chance to go at least a little retro with its uniform combination against the Seahawks, however. The team has not worn orange pants with a white top during the regular season since 1979, though they did wear this exact combination against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of the 2024 preseason. It would make plenty of sense for the Broncos to opt for this uniform once again when they travel to Seattle on Sunday.
