Matt O’Connor
As this year’s NFL Season continues, everyone is anticipating who will climb their way up the ranks and make it to the Super Bowl in February. But while Super Bowl Speculation is ramping up, I’ve had something on my mind when it comes to Football and the NFL for a long time. Which NFL team has the best logo overall? I’ll be judging each team’s logo based on three main categories. Is it a memorable design? Does it fit with the team’s theme and branding? Finally, does it reflect each team’s location and/or have any kind of historical connections? Also, I’m only ranking the teams based on the designs of their logos, their current professional standings will not be considered for this list. So, out of all 32 teams in the NFL, which one has the best logo out of the bunch?
#32: Cleveland Browns
This is about as basic as it gets. It’s literally just a clipart helmet. There’s nothing distinctive or representative about Cleveland with this logo to the point where you could recolor it and pass it off as another team’s logo instead. By far the worst logo out of the lot. Not much to say about this one other than it’s very generic and lacks any kind of personality.
#31: New York Jets
Go figure, a bad team has an equally bad logo. Like the Browns, there’s barely anything going on here. At the very least, the color palette is nice. But it doesn’t really do anything crazy or striking. Like the Browns, the football shape could just as easily be used for any other team.
#30: New York Giants
From one NY team to another, the Giants just barely edge out their Empire State competitors. The only reason it’s above the previous two is because it at least represents where the Giants are from. Like the previous two, it has no pizazz whatsoever.
#29: New Orleans Saints
The first three logos were the only ones I would genuinely consider to be bad. So it’s all uphill from here. The Saints logo is underwhelming for the most part, but it does represent the city and its history. Not a bad logo, but pretty forgettable.
#28: Dallas Cowboys
The star works well, but there isn’t a lot of strong imagery to go off of here. It vaguely resembles how Texas is the Lone Star State and the color palette is alright, but it doesn’t go far enough with the idea. Again, not bad, just underwhelming.
#27: San Francisco 49ers
Jumping drastically in quality with San Francisco, the 49ers logo is solid. A good color palette, and it screams the team’s name. It doesn’t really represent the city all that well, but it still gets the job done.
#26: Green Bay Packers
Green Bay and San Francisco are basically interchangeable. The Packers have a solid design that is quite bold, but doesn’t go far enough to represent Green Bay other than the color scheme. The only reason it’s above the 49ers is because I prefer the color palette ever so slightly.
#25: Washington Commanders
In the same vein as the previous two placements, the Commanders and their admitted basically maroon and gold “W” gets the idea of the team’s color scheme and home area. It’s pretty simple, but it’s decent looking overall.
#24: Kansas City Chiefs
As admittedly controversial as the Chiefs are, I actually think their logo looks alright. It’s visually appealing and nails down their brand and the history of the arrowhead. Despite people’s feelings on Kansas City, I think the logo looks pretty solid.
#23: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are the best example of a logo using a letter coated in the team’s colors. The tiger stripes are pretty striking and the bright orange stands out a lot. We’re starting to get into the logos that I think are pretty great.
#22: Atlanta Falcons
While the Falcons can kind of be lumped into the previous batch, the design of the Falcon looking like the “F” puts it above the rest. I’m also a sucker for black and red being used as a color combination. Very solid all around.
#21: Los Angeles Chargers
Just barely missing out on the Top 20 are the Los Angeles Chargers. I initially didn’t know where to put them for this list. It’s not exactly what I’d imagine a lightning bolt logo to look like, but that’s just it, it stands out that way. It’s simple, sweet, and straight to the point, and that’s why I decided to put it here on the list.
#20: Indianapolis Colts
The horseshoe design of the Colts really stands out here, and it also calls back to the city’s connection with horses. Having a specific symbol to associate with the team makes this logo all the more memorable and distinctive. Very well done.
#19: Chicago Bears
Many NFL teams feature animals as their namesakes, and the orange and black color scheme of the Bears logo is a prime example of that. The bear looks rather menacing in a way and its more realistic appearance stands out compared to the other animal based logo designs.
#18: Miami Dolphins
The bright color scheme and the usage of a dolphin as the main insignia make for a strong and memorable logo combination. The colors especially really pop and emphasize the bright and bustling aspects of Miami.
#17: Los Angeles Rams
The blue and yellow featured on the Rams logo is one of my personal favorite color combos, and the ram horns blending into the L and the A look pretty solid. A part of me still really likes their older logo from a few years ago, but this one’s still good.
#16: Houston Texans
Like with the Falcons, the red and black color scheme really pops. The Star Eye also representing the Texas state flag makes for another great detail. All in all, Houston’s got a pretty good logo design.
#15: Arizona Cardinals
The majority of the bird themed teams in the NFL have great logos, and the Cardinals exemplify that. The cartoonish design and the complementary color palette really stand out. While they’re not exactly the best team competitively, they’ve still got a great logo.
#14: Buffalo Bills
Blue and Red is another one of my favorite color combos, and Buffalo really hits the nail on the head with their logo design. It’s memorable, distinctive and the red stripe gives the impression that the Bison is rushing forward.
#13: Detroit Lions
Detroit’s logo really reminds me of crests and imagery present in a coat of arms. You’ve got the animal theming that makes it memorable, and the bright blue is quite appealing and looks great on their team jerseys.
#12: Las Vegas Raiders
For a logo from the city of lights, the Raiders logo is rather plain looking at first. But I think this logo looks great, as it really represents what a good team logo should be. It’s memorable, has distinctive iconography and looks good on merchandise.
#11: Minnesota Vikings
It was an extremely close call between these next few logos, but Minnesota and the Vikings logo ended up in 11th on the list. The vibrant purple color scheme stands out a lot and the mascot gives this team a distinctive look and sense of branding. From here on out, all the logos are ones that I think are close to perfect.
#10: Carolina Panthers
Any logo with a big cat immediately gets a few points in my book, but the Panthers in particular have a fantastic design going for them. It strikes a balance between being cool and being menacing, which is something a lot of the previous logos on the list struggled to capture. Amazing design overall.
#9: Jacksonville Jaguars
Look at that, another big cat logo. Again, this logo maintains a near perfect balance between the coolness factor and having an intimidating design. The blue tongue is admittedly a weird choice, but it catches the eye and aids to the design of the Jaguar itself. Definitely the best of the feline based logos.
#8: Tennessee Titans
Their logo is on fire, that already gets your attention. Great color scheme, great overall design and great branding. While it kind of looks more like a basketball logo rather than a football one in some areas, that doesn’t really matter. It’s still undoubtedly a very striking logo and one that really hits the nail on the head when it comes to having a near perfect design,
#7: Denver Broncos
Horses are always a great choice for a sports team mascot, and the Broncos managed to make a memorable design that portrays their titular Bronco in an intimidating manner. The orange mane really sticks out and gives the logo design a lot more pizazz and the Bronco can be connected back to the city’s strong western heritage.
#6: Pittsburgh Steelers
Initially, I wasn’t aware of the history behind the Steelers logo. But the team’s logo design and name are specifically based on the history surrounding Pittsburgh’s steel industry and the diamonds represent coal, iron ore and scrap steel. The strong history and iconic design catapult the Steelers high up on the list.
#5: Seattle Seahawks
We’re in the Top 5 now, and you’re going to see a pretty common theme with some of the logos that made the top of the list. The Seahawks logo design is sleek and striking, especially with the green eye contrasting so well with the rest of the color palette. On top of that, you could even say that the green eye represents Seattle’s nickname of “The Emerald City”.
#4: New England Patriots
I’ll admit it, there is quite a bit of bias on display here. I’ve been a Patriots fan for most of my life, and I really think their logo is one of the most iconic. The design checks all of the boxes to make for an outstanding logo for the team. I’m holding out hope that they’ll be able to make it to the playoffs this time around.
#3: Baltimore Ravens
Like with Minnesota, purple pretty much always looks good when used for sports color palettes, and Baltimore takes that and runs with it. Any homage to Edgar Allen Poe gets my seal of approval, and it helps that the design of the logo is absolutely amazing. Most of the bird based teams in the NFL have standout logos that really excel in all areas.
#2: Philadelphia Eagles
Despite my mixed feelings about the team as a whole, I can’t deny that the Eagles logo is fantastic. You really can’t criticize too much when it comes to this logo. The distinctive colors, the imposing design of the eagle, and exaggerated lining really make for one of the best logos in the entirety of the NFL. But there’s one more logo that I think is just a bit better.
#1: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This football themed pirate flag is so creative and unlike any of the other logos before it. It once again strikes the perfect balance between coolness and intimidation. The flag with the skull and swords and the football in the center makes for (in my personal opinion) the overall best designed and most memorable logo out of the 32 NFL teams.
