Football fans who watch NFL games on Thanksgiving may be curious about the jersey patches that teams will be wearing during the 2023 holiday games. To honor the late John Madden, the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers are all wearing patches on their jerseys. A silhouette of Madden wearing a headset appears on the yellow and brown patches.
Madden died at the age of 85 on December 28, 2021. Thanksgiving is well known to the former NFL coach and longtime football announcer. The John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration will be held for the second time in 2023, according to the league.
“The day combines all the aspects of life Madden loved, including family, football, food, tradition, and fun,” the NFL said in a statement issued on November 21, 2023. “Madden’s contributions to football will be honored both on the field and in the broadcast booth on Thanksgiving Day, with tributes interspersed throughout each game.” Each telecast will begin with a Madden trademark, and each network will choose a player from the game; the NFL Foundation will then donate $10,000 to a youth or high-school football program in those players’ names, as Madden valued the game’s developmental levels.
“On the field, each of the six Thanksgiving teams will wear Madden silhouette jersey patches.” The NFL will also feature that silhouette on the coin at each coin toss (heads), with a six-legged turducken on the reverse side (tails). Furthermore, John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration stencils will be prominently displayed at Ford Field, AT&T Stadium, and Lumen Field.”
