Ron Chenoy - Imagn Images
For a long time, the NFL held the line against alternate uniforms and helmets. You could always predict what the teams would be wearing every Sunday, as the home and away default uniforms were used nearly every week.
In recent years, the league has relented on alternate uniforms, even allowing teams to wear alternate helmets. Now, they’re relenting and allowing even more alternate jerseys.
It seems crazy to think about now, but the NFL actually banned alternate helmets for nearly a decade from 2013 to 2021. that led to weird situations that would have a team wearing a throwback jersey that could be a completely different color scheme than the team’s current scheme, leading to a huge mismatch of colors. Since 2022, teams have been able to wear the alternate uniforms head-to-toe, but with strict limits on how many times a year an alternate can be worn.
That limit is getting less strict. Here’s [Pro Football Talk](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-allows-teams-to-wear-alternate-or-throwback-uniforms-up-to-four-times-per-year) with more.
> The NFL on Monday expanded the number of times that teams can wear alternate or throwback uniforms in a given season. The prior limit was three; the new maximum is four.
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> Last year, the NFL increased the number of different helmets a team can wear in the same season to three. The new rule allows an alternate helmet to be used with more than one jersey.
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> It means more options for teams and more ways (frankly) to market the various helmets and jerseys for purchase by fans. Because, remember, the ultimate goal of any business is to make as much money as possible. More jerseys and/or helmets worn during games means more money for the teams and those who make the jerseys and helmets.
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> For years, the NFL limited teams to one helmet per season, under the reasoning that keeping players in the same helmet all year limits concussions. Moving from one to two to three has opened up the universe of jersey options and potential combinations.
The good thing about NFL alternate uniforms compared to, say, the NBA, is that they’re almost always based on team history and aren’t some random colors. Ultimately, we’re going to get to see more of some of the sport’s best uniforms.