We present the results of HST NICMOS observations of a sample of GPS, CSS, and large scale FR ii radio galaxies. The absolute magnitude, near-IR colors, and surface brightness profiles of the three classes of objects are similar. This is consistent with the scenario in which a powerful radio source evolves along the GPS-CSS-FR ii size sequence. Their properties are more like regular (giant) field ellipticals than Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCG's). This implies GPS/CSS radio sources apparently do not evolve into BCG FR i type sources.