Getty Bills tight end Dawson Knox celebrates at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023.
Buffalo Bills fans erupted when Josh Allen took to the field at training camp last year wearing a vintage red helmet, even though it ended up just being a momentary tease and the look wasn’t seen again all season.
Now, fans are once again buzzing after tight end Dawson Knox dropped a hint that the helmets could be making a more permanent return. Knox took to Instagram to share a picture of a red helmet sitting in an opened box and surrounded by gift wrap. The tight end added a series of wide-eyed emoji, prompting some fans to speculate that the helmet could become an on-field addition for the team.
Bills Fans Excited Over Potential Change to Team’s Look
Knox’s image, which was originally shared in his Instagram Stories, quickly made its way around social media and prompted some excitement from fans. On Twitter, many re-shared the image and expressed hopes that the team would adopt the red helmet as part of the uniform in the coming season.
Hey @dawson_knox don’t u dare be teasing us with red helmets!!!👀🔥
One fan speculated that last year’s brief reveal of the helmet — Allen wore it out of the tunnel before the team’s intrasquad game at training camp, but quickly discarded it and wore the standard white helmet for the game — may have been a test run to see how it landed with fans.
“It has to be happening now,” the fan tweeted. “One is a tease, two? I think the reaction to josh when he came out in the red helmet made them think.”
Red helmet Josh Allen is 🔥🔥🔥
There could already be some momentum growing toward the helmet, as defensive end Gregory Rousseau also took to Instagram to share a picture of one.
Is this actually happening? #BillsMafia
Bills Have a Chance to Change Uniforms This Season
While Allen’s initial reveal of the red helmet in 2022 generated some major buzz among fans, the team would not have been allowed to actually wear them during the regular season. WGR 550 reporter Sal Capaccio tweeted at the time that he spoke to the franchise’s chief operating officer, Ron Raccuia, and learned that the league only allows alternate helmets with throwback uniforms or Color Rush uniforms.
The Bills had already locked in on two different helmets, with the standing buffalo as their preferred alternate to the standard white one, he noted.
“Bills can’t wear red helmet with the throwbacks because the throwbacks use the standing buffalo while the red Josh had on is the charging buffalo. No match,” Capaccio wrote in another tweet. “Their color rush unis are all red. Can’t use it with those because all red head/toe is not their preferred look.”
Capaccio added, “So the Bills will either wait until the NFL changes policy and allows an alternate helmet with regular home/away uniforms, or wait to unveil a new alternate uniform themselves.”
The Bills could have an opening to revisit their alternate helmets this season, and a number of teams have already introduced throwback helmets. The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they are going back to the well-liked Kelly green throwback uniforms, SI.com reported, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on July 12 that they are going back to their “creamsicle” uniforms worn from 1976 to 1996.
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