NFL teams that are currently going through a redesign option had been given a third helmet option for the 2025 season, but the league has now extended that leeway to all teams.
In a memo to teams cited by CBS Sports, the NFL, which had just given teams the freedom to introduce a second helmet option only two years ago, stated that the goal behind the third helmet option is to increase "the overall club flexibility." Clubs that want to add a third helmet design must do so by May 1, 2025.
Included in the memo are guidelines regarding when and how teams can use alternative helmets moving forward, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports reported. They can only be worn together with one of the team's "authorized optimal uniforms," such as a color rush, classic or alternative uniform. If an alternate color helmet is paired with a classic uniform, the helmet colors and designs must be historically compatible.
Furthermore, alternative color helmets must be worn in practice for at least the week leading up until the game in which they will be used.
"Rest assured that teams will quickly begin the process of developing a third helmet, if they haven't started already," DeArdo wrote. "Nearly two-thirds of NFL teams wore an alternative helmet in 2023, a year after the league expanded helmet flexibility."
