Bears unveil new alternate uniform — and it has orange pants

The Bears unveiled an alternate uniform Tuesday — and it has an orange helmet. And orange pants.

In between the two is a navy jersey with orange numbers outlined in white.

The number font is different than the style of the Bears’ standard uniforms; rather, it’s similar to their 1948 uniforms. The stripes on the sleeves run vertical, not horizontal, and harken back to the vertical stripes across the front of the jersey of some of the Bears’ earliest teams. The orange helmet is the same one they released in 2022, though with a new “Bears” nose bumper and Chicago stars stripped across the back padding.

With George S. Halas’ initials removed from the sleeve, the Bears will wear a “GHS” patch in the shape of a football on their chest. It’s the same patch they wore after his death in 1983 and similar to the Virginia McCaskey memorial patch they wore last year.

The look resembles the University of Illinois — but then again, it always has. The Bears wear navy and orange because those were the colors of Halas’ alma mater.

The Bears will wear the uniform just once this year: on Christmas Day against the Packers. The Packers will wear theirs in Week 5 against the Bears. Teams can keep the “Rivalries” uniform in their rotation for up to three years.

The Bears’ standard uniforms will remain the same.

The team also released a retro-inspired logo — an orange football with the word Chicago written across it and a navy bear crawling over it.

Nike began the “Rivalries” program a year ago, unveiling alternate uniforms for teams from the AFC East and the NFC West. This year, the company, which has exclusive rights to produce NFL on-field uniforms and apparel, worked with teams from the NFC North and AFC South to develop their alternates. The Bears designed those uniforms without wanting to compromise their brand, which is as consistent and traditional as any team in NFL history. But for a few details, the Bears’ standard home and away uniforms have remained the same since 1963, when they first put decals on their helmets.

Bears chairman George McCaskey, who has a keen interest in the team’s past and present uniforms, has always been a traditionalist. When his mother Virginia died last year, he honored her not only with a jersey patch but by having the team wear their traditional home and away uniforms all year long, the way she liked it. The team briefly shelved its orange and striped uniform sets. When the Bears hosted two playoff games, McCaskey decided to pair the Bears’ traditional home navy jerseys with their road navy pants.

All eight “Rivalries” teams unveiled their uniforms online at the same time Tuesday morning. The Bears will address theirs further following Tuesday afternoon’s practice at Halas Hall.