A brand new helmet design could be in play for the Cincinnati Bengals next year.
Per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the league will allow teams re-designing their uniforms for the 2024 season to institute a third helmet design. Teams maintaining their uniforms will have to wait until the 2025 season.
The Bengals already have two helmet designs. They've worn their primary orange helmet with black stripes since the early 1980s. In 2022, the club debuted its alternative white helmet with black stripes to fulfill the White Bengal uniform.
A third helmet to the mix could be something brand new, or something to honor the past.
The newer option that excites fans is an inverse design of the original, making the base black and the stripes orange. This paired with the team's black jerseys and pants would compete an all-black look.
Before the Bengals donned their stripes, they had a more classic look. Their original helmet was orange with the word "BENGALS" on the sides.
The revised rule could also bring this retro look back to life for the modern times, though it would also have to be paired with updated threads to complete the look.
Considering the need to bring back the full 1970s uniform to make the look complete, it's far more likely that the Bengals just invert the colors of their primary helmet for their new alternate.
An alternate helmet of any kind has to be paired with a designated alternate uniform. The Bengals only wear their white jersey, pants, and socks combination with their white helmet. They'd certainly pair the all black combination with a black helmet with the same exclusivity.
It's what the fans want, and if the club has already added one extra helmet, there's no reason to think another wouldn't be feasible now that it's legalized. We'll see what 2025 brings.
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