ORLANDO, Fla. – The Bears intend to put a more aggressive team on the field in 2018 under first-year head coach Matt Nagy. They'll also be more colorful.
Chairman George H. McCaskey confirmed at the annual NFL owners meetings Wednesday that the Bears will wear orange jerseys as part of their alternate uniforms this year, though the games have yet to be determined. In past years, the Bears have donned their alternate jerseys in two contests per season.
"The orange jersey is coming back in 2018," McCaskey said.
The Bears last wore orange jerseys in 2011 after also donning them from 2005-09. They wore navy and orange 1940s throwback jerseys in 2010 and each of the past six years.
Take a look at some of the best photos of former Bears players wearing the team's orange jerseys from 2004-2011.
The Bears are attempting to clarify with the NFL whether they are permitted to change their alternate jerseys on a yearly basis.
"You can't make decision changes within the five-year period," McCaskey said. "We're trying to nail down whether we can have for instance an orange jersey one year, a throwback jersey the next year and an orange jersey the following year."
One of the most memorable games in which the Bears wore their orange jerseys occurred on Nov. 13, 2005. On a blustery day at Soldier Field, Nathan Vasher returned a missed field goal attempt 108 yards for a touchdown in a 17-9 win over the 49ers, setting a record that has since been eclipsed for the longest play in NFL history.
McCaskey's fondness for orange jerseys dates back to the early days of the franchise. The Bears won 17 straight regular-season games in 1933-34, an NFL mark that stood for 70 years until it was broken by the Patriots in 2004.
"It is reminiscent of our uniform in the 1930s when we had the then-record for most consecutive regular-season wins, largely wearing orange jerseys."
