The 25 Best NFL Throwback Jerseys To Rock on Thanksgiving

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Today is the day. The day you gear up, beer up, and sit down for a good solid twelve or so hours to truly show thanks. Make sure you are ready for your peak armchair performance with the best throwback jerseys of the game. Rocking a throwback isn’t about the cool colors or team allegiance  but about proving you're a true sports fans of paying respect to the ultimate legends of the sport. Make sure you’re up on game before everyone else is with The 25 Best Throwback Jerseys to Rock on Thanksgiving.

RELATED: 10 Awesome Football Cleats to Stunt in Your Turkey Game

No. 25 - Johnny Unitas

Year: 1958
Team: Baltimore Colts

Unitas was the nicknamed the “Golden Arm” and he was the NFL MVP in 1959, 1964 and 1967. He was also a Super Bowl champion in 1970. This jersey doesn’t have much flair, but it’s a classic because of what Unitas did while wearing it.

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No. 24 - Steve Largent

Year: 1986
Team: Seattle Seahawks

Before Jerry Rice held every single receiving record, a skinny white guy from Oklahoma did. Largent ran routes shaper than the finest Ginsu knife in all the land. The color scheme of this Seahawks jersey actually makes it pretty fashionable to wear also.

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No. 23 - Eric Dickerson

Year: 1984
Team: Los Angeles Rams

Before the nerdy chic look came into style Eric Dickerson had been rocking it with his Rec Specs on the football field. NFL defenders that judged Dickerson by his specs were rudely surprised when E.D. zipped past them. Dickerson set the NFL single season rushing record in his second season rushing for 2,105 yards — a record that still stands today.

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No. 22 - Ickey Woods

Year: 1988
Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Ickey is not in the Hall of Fame….and he’s nowhere near close either, because he only lasted three years in the NFL. While Ickey was in the league, he made the most of it by creating the “Ickey Shuffle” touchdown dance as a rookie in 1988, when he led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII.

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No. 21 - Archie Manning

Year: 1978
Team: New Orleans Saints

Before Peyton and Eli, there was their proud papa, Archie. He played for the New Orleans Saints aka the New Orleans Aints because the team never had a winning record in his ten seasons.

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No. 20 - Harold Carmichael

Year: 1979
Team: Philadelphia Eagles

People are told they’re too small to play sports everyday, but how many are told they are too big? Harold Carmichael was told just that since he played wide receiver and stood 6’8” tall. He proved his detractors wrong and was voted a member of the NFL 1970s All-Decade team. This green Eagles throwback is also dope, because it’s not a usual number in the 80s that WRs normally wear, but it is in the teens.

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No. 19 - Joe Greene

Year: 1975
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Mean Joe Greene was the leader of the Pittsburgh defense in the 70s. He was a four-time Super Bowl Champion, ten-time Pro Bowler and he’s also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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No. 18 - Bart Starr

Year: 1967
Team: Green Bay Packers

If Vince Lombardi is the face of the Packers franchise, then Bart Starr is the muscle. Starr led the Packers to four NFL titles and helped the franchise win Super Bowl I and II.

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No. 17 - Christian Okoye

Year: 1989
Team: Kansas City Chiefs

The Nigerian Nightmare was  exactly that for his six NFL seasons, because defenders wanted no parts of the 6’1” 260 lbs running back.  Although Okoye didn’t have a long career, he put on his for country, which was more than enough for him to get love on this list.

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No. 16 - Gale Sayers

Year: 1965
Team: Chicago Bears

The Kansas Comet’s running style was prettier than a Playboy Playmate. Before there was Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers was the NFL’s amazing ankle breaker. As a rookie, Sayers set the NFL record with 22 touchdowns in a season including six touchdowns in a single game against the San Francisco 49ers.

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No. 15 - Dan Marino

Year: 1984
Team: Miami Dolphins

Super Bowl title or not, Dan Marino was one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever live. He led the Dolphins to the Super Bowl in his first year as a starter. Nine Pro Bowls and one MVP is more than enough for a fan to rock a Marino jersey with pride.

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No. 14 - Jim Brown

Year: 1964
Team: Cleveland Browns

Jim Brown is arguably the best football to ever play. Most players retire because of injury or father time, but Brown retired because he felt like it and in only nine seasons he was the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.  Any fan can rock Browns jersey with pride, but it’s hard to not admit that the ugly brown long sleeve jersey might not look too good when it’s not in a uniform.

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No. 13 - Walter Payton

Year: 1985
Team: Chicago Bears

He was nicknamed Sweetness, but it should have been Toughness. Payton wasn’t the fastest, biggest or strongest, but he was definitely the toughest running back to ever play. It always took more than one defender to tackle him. Payton was a Super Bowl champion in 1985 and left this world too soon in 1999. Any throwback jersey that was worn by a posthumous NFL Pro Hall of Famer is worthy of rocking.

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No. 12 - O.J. Simpson

Year: 1973
Team: Buffalo Bills

If you can ignore his life after football, you can’t deny that O.J. Simpson definitely had the “juice” when he was running the ball. Simpson was the first ever player to rush for over 2,000 yards in 1973 — legend and throwback certified.

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No. 11 - Jerry Rice

Year: 1994/1955
Team: San Francisco 49ers

G.O.A.T. and that’s at any position. Although he’s the greatest football player of all-time, his throwback isn’t.  This jersey is actually the jersey Rice wore in the 1994 season, which was the NFL’s 75th anniversary when all NFL teams wore throwback jerseys. In that season, the 49ers chose to honor the 1955 team.

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No. 10 - John Elway

Year: 1987
Team: Denver Broncos

The comeback kid won the NFL MVP award in 1987, but the year before in 1986 is when Elway became legendary with “The Drive”. Elway led the Broncos down the field 98 yards in 37 seconds to help beat the Cleveland Browns and lead his team to Super Bowl XXI.

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No. 9 - Joe Namath

Year: 1969
Team: New York Jets

Broadway Joe became a throwback legend in 1969, when he guaranteed that the AFL champion, New York Jets would beat the juggernaut that was the NFL champion, Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Joe put his money where his mouth was and the Jets were the first AFL team to ever win a Super Bowl.

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No. 8 - Earl Campbell

Year: 1979
Team: Houston Oilers

In the 70s, Earl Campbell was the baddest man with a football in his hand. He was never tackled, defenders just got lucky and were able to bring him down. Campbell was the 1979 NFL MVP.

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No. 7 - Joe Montana

Year: 1989
Team: San Francisco 49ers

Cool Joe was his nickname and Super Bowl victories was his claim to throwback fame. Montana is best known for the throwing the pass to Dwight Clark that led to “The Catch” and for his game winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII.

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No. 6 - Brett Favre

Team: Atlanta Falcons

Before Brett Favre became the legend that we’ve all come to know and love, he was a rookie playing for the Atlanta Falcons. This throwback is dope, because not only does it belong to an NFL legend, but it was the jersey worn in his rookie year for the team that traded him away a year later.

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No. 5 - Kellen Winslow Sr.

Year: 1980
Team: San Diego Chargers

Without Kellen Winslow, there would be no Antonio Gates, Rob Gronkowski, Tony Gonzales etc. Winslow was the original modern day pass catching tight end. This jersey is an awesome throwback because it was worn by a great tight end, who went on to become a Hall of Famer and because the color scheme is sick!

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No. 4 - Leroy Selmon

Year: 1979
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Selmon was known to “have no peers” because he was so dominant at defensive end for the Buccaneers. Selmon won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. This throwback is dope because of its colors and the fact that Selmon went onto become a Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, Selmon is no longer with us having passed September 4, 2011.

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No. 3 - Lawrence Taylor

Year: 1986
Team: New York Giants

LT is the last person to win the NFL MVP as a defensive player in 1986 so that should tell you something about his legendary status already if his two Super Bowl victories and three defensive player of the year awards aren’t enough.  He redefined the way linebacker was played. He played hard on the field and partied harder off of it,

“For me, crazy as it seems, there’s a real relationship between wild, reckless abandon off the field and being that way on the field.”

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No. 2 -  Bo Jackson

Year: 1990
Team: Los Angeles Raiders

Bo knew he was great and so did you. He was arguably the best two-way professional sports player to ever live. If Bo were able to have had a longer football career his Nike SC Trainers would have the football equivalent of the Air Jordans. Sadly, but thankfully all we have left of Bo’s greatness are YouTube clips and throwback jerseys.

No. 1 - Deion Sanders

Year: 1989
Team: Atlanta Falcons

Deion Sanders always said, “If you look good, you feel good, if you feel good, you play good, if you play good, they pay you good.” Deion did all of that and more. He is the best cornerback to ever play in the NFL. This 1989 throwback from Deion’s rookie season is the only year the Falcons would rock the red jerseys in his time with the team. Deion played with several teams so you have several jersey options to choose from, but the best one to go with is the blood red joint from his rookie year.