Following a comprehensive investigation of uniform safety requirements in June 2021, the NFL revised its one-helmet policy to allow club teams the option to wear up to two helmet variations for games and practice.
The change was first reported by the Pro Football Talk, a verified Twitter account and component of NBC Sports that is dedicated to the coverage of all things NFL. On June 24, the publication reported that a memo had been sent out to clubs of the league.
A memo disseminated June 24 by the NFL clubs was shared with sports reporters at many major news outlets, including Albert Breer and Jonathan Jones of CBS.
The one-helmet rule was established in 2013 and permitted teams the use of just one set of helmets for safety purposes. The rule meant that a player only needed to be properly fitted one time, eliminating the need to shift between different headgear and helmets. In 2018, the NFL expanded its uniform policy to allow teams to wear more than one jersey but maintained the one-helmet policy.
“League staff conducted a comprehensive review of our uniform policy, with the goal of increasing overall club flexibility regarding helmet shell colors, while maintaining the highest level of player health and safety,” read the memo from the NFL Football Operations Player Health and Safety.
The alternate color helmet must only be worn together with one of the club’s authorized optional uniforms and must meet certain parameters for the uniform that they will be paired with. For example, if the alternate color helmet is paired with a classic uniform, the alternate color helmet colors and designs must be historically accurate and consistent with the historical uniform.
According to the memo, all helmets must also meet the following qualifications:
- Clubs 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 the applicable 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; and
- 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.
- All teams wishing to wear two helmets during the 2022 season must declare their decision to do so to the NFL by July 31.
And beginning July 14, all helmet prototypes can be submitted in the NFL Helmet Challenge, a multi-year innovation challenge aimed at “stimulating the development of a new helmet that outperforms any model currently available to NFL players.” A panel of 11 experts will judge submissions award the winner a prize of $1 million, according to NFL.com. It is not yet known if the 2022 helmet designs will be required to be used with the helmet prototypes.