Black is the new black. In the NFL, at least.
The NFL has given teams the green light to play with alternate helmets in addition to their alternate uniforms this season. The rule change announced in 2021 reverses a years-old policy banning the use of multiple helmets under the heading of player safety.
Now teams don’t have to mix and match their throwback threads with their contemporary tops. Several teams have announced new helmets this offseason, with some like the New England Patriots bringing back fan-favorite retro options. Others, meanwhile, are going decidedly dark. Whatever the route, it makes marketing sense for teams to drum up interest in the offseason while offering another team deal for fans with disposable income.
[Set, hut, hike! Create or join a fantasy football league now!]
Here’s a look at the teams that will be playing in alternate helmets for select games in the 2022 season.
Cardinals Go ‘Galactic Black’
The Arizona Cardinals joined the blackout party by announcing “galactic black” helmets with “red granite flecks” on July 24. Quarterback Kyler Murray unveiled the helmets along with JJ Watt and Budda Baker in his first public event for the Cardinals since signing a $230 million extension. .
The Cardinals will wear the new helmets in three games this season.
Kyler Murray has a new contract and a new helmet for 2022. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Bears turn orange
The Bears also announced new helmets on July 24, but took a decidedly different route than the Cardinals. They also avoid the look of receding. Instead, they’ll wear their standard kit trim on top and stare determinedly at me in bright orange caps.
They’ll be paired with matching orange jerseys that are sure to stand out for the Oct. 13-30 matchups against the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys.
The white tiger will debut in Cincinnati
It’s a new era of winning in Cincinnati. The Bengals are not shy. They announced on July 22nd the highly anticipated debut of the White Bengal Tiger skin.
The helmets will presumably be paired with white uniforms to complete the look. It is not clear when they will debut. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are sure to make them look good when they do.
The story continues
The jets go into stealth mode
The Jets announced matte black helmets for the 2022 season that will be emblazoned with a dark green Jets logo that might be hard to spot from a distance. If so, it will align with the stealth fighter jet theme they are looking for. They will wear them on Oct. 30 against the Patriots, Nov. 27 against the Bears and Dec. 22 against the Jaguars.
Eagles hold back Kelly Green
The Eagles passed on the opportunity to return to Randall Cunningham’s greens in favor of a much less interesting shiny black helmet to pair with black uniforms. Because? The Eagles won twice while wearing black in 2021. It’s an uninspired pick and a missed opportunity.
The good news is that Kelly Green will be back in 2023.
Cowboys call the 60s
The Dallas Cowboys go decidedly retro in what was probably an easy decision at the Star. On July 21, they announced the return of the white helmet with a blue star and stripes associated with Don Meredith’s quarterback teams of the 1960s.
They will likely be paired with matching white and blue uniforms and show up for their Thanksgiving game against the New York Giants.
Giants go back to the LT days
Speaking of the Giants, they’re also going the slightly more modern throwback route. They invited Lawrence Taylor to reintroduce the classic blue uniforms and “Giants” helmets associated with the franchise’s glory days of the 1980s and early 1990s that saw them earn two Super Bowl victories under Bill Parcells. good call They will wear them on October 2 against the Bears and on December 4 against the Commanders, two more franchises associated with the era.
Panthers turn black, naturally
The Carolina Panthers are jumping on the dark bandwagon and introducing an all-black helmet and jersey combo for the 2022 season. The look makes more sense here, being the Panthers and all. They will debut with a Thursday night home game against the rival Atlanta Falcons on November 10th.
Jeans delight in red
The Texans don’t have much history to fall back on — they didn’t debut until 2002. So they’re going for a modern look that includes bright red helmets that the franchise describes as their “biggest uniform change.” The Texans are calling the look “Battle Red” and will be wearing it on Nov. 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
New England revives Pat Patriot
Given the opportunity, the Patriots made the simple and obviously correct decision. Like the Cowboys and the Giants, they turned back. Pat Patriot is back, much to the delight of a fan base that has been spoiled since he initially retired.
The Patriots are bringing back the white helmets emblazoned with the Pat Patriot logo to match the classic red uniforms. The team represents a darker pre-Brady/Belichick era of New England football that isn’t associated with winning. However, she is still loved. New England did not initially announce which dates Patriot Pat will return.
Saints all in black trend
Like many of their NFL brethren, the New Orleans Saints are using their recent freedom to adopt black helmets. It’s an obvious, if not all that interesting, choice that fits naturally with its gold and black color scheme. The alternative, some sort of purple/yellow/green king cake monstrosity, would not be pretty.
The hawks look far back at the red helmets
The Falcons are taking the comeback route as far as they can go. On October 16 against the San Francisco 49ers, the Falcons will don the red helmets that date back to the franchise’s debut season in 1966. The Falcons are most associated with the all-black look adopted during the Jerry Glanville era of the early nineties. But old-school fans saw them wear red for decades. Red tops will go well with black 60s tees.
Commanders obviously don’t go the retreat route
The Washington Commanders revealed their alternate black helmets with jersey logos in February when they revealed they were the Commanders. Like most everything reboot-related, they’re fine. They avoided a look back for obvious reasons.