NFL teams received a memo from the league office on Thursday informing them that they may resume wearing two different helmets beginning in 2022. Gone is the so-called "one-helmet rule" that prevented teams from wearing "throwback" helmets since 2014.
And maybe back: the Dallas Cowboys’ white helmet?
That 2014 rule was instituted for player safety concerns and decreed that the one helmets worn by teams were limited to only their primary color.
The new rule will allow each player to have two helmets of different colors, providing they are the same model and are fit-tested at the same time.
Of course, being the NFL, there are additional rules that accompany this announcement. Here are the guidelines according to NFL.com:
- Teams must obtain an entirely new set of alternate color helmets for all players
- Alternate color helmets must be the same make, model, and size as each player’s primary helmet
- Alternate color helmets must be made available to all players at the start of training camp and should be fit at the same time as the primary helmet
- Alternate color helmets must be worn in practice at a minimum during the week leading up to the game in which they will be used
Teams must also let the league know if they're going forward with an alternate helmet by the end of this July. That means although we might not know what each team has planned, we will know which teams will be participating.
This could mean the return of some old fan favorites from their respective teams including New England's "Pat the Patriot", "Bucco Bruse" in Tampa, kelly green Eagles uniforms, black helmets in New Orleans, and red helmets in Atlanta.
This is fun news for teams across the league, including the Dallas Cowboys, who used to throw out their modern version of the throwbacks from the early '60s, including blue jerseys and white helmets with the blue star.
There is something sort of “new classic” about the Dallas “throwbacks.” We like the nostalgia … And we bet Cowboys owner Jerry Jones likes the marketing and sales aspect of the idea.
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