Buffalo Rumblings
If it feels like you’re seeing more alternate uniforms and helmet combinations around the NFL than ever before, you’re not imagining things.
Over the last several seasons and after their renewed partnership with Nike, the league has gradually relaxed its uniform restrictions, giving teams more opportunities to showcase alternate looks while still maintaining each franchise’s identity.
With the Buffalo Bills recently unveiling a new alternate uniform and the NFL’s new Rivalries program arriving last season, many fans have been asking the same question: What exactly are the NFL’s uniform rules?
Despite what many fans believe, the home team gets to decide whether it wants to wear its official colored jersey or white jersey. Once the home team makes its selection, the visiting team simply wears the contrasting option.
The NFL allows teams to wear alternate uniforms, throwbacks, or classic jerseys up to four times during the regular season. That four-game total includes all alternate jersey designs, regardless of whether they’re modern alternates, throwbacks, or “Color Rush” inspired uniforms.
One of the biggest changes in recent years came when the NFL eliminated the long-standing one helmet rule. Today, teams can carry up to three different helmet designs during a season. That could include:
For the Bills this means our primary white, the alternate blue, and then they could still use the 90s red. The standing buffalo and the cold front white rivalries helmet are both base-white helmets with different stickers, and since they match the primary white, it’s not considered another helmet.
Just when fans thought they understood the rules, the NFL introduced something entirely new last year. Beginning last season, a number of teams started receiving a specially designed NFL x Nike Rivalries uniform.
The concept of these uniforms is intended to celebrate divisional rivalries while highlighting each franchise’s history, culture, and local identity.
For AFC East teams like Buffalo, that meant for one designated home game last season against a division opponent the NFL required the featured “Rivalries” look.
Unlike traditional alternate uniforms, the Rivalries collection does not count against the NFL’s four-game alternate uniform limit or 3 helmets.
Instead:
If you’re hoping to see your favorite alternate look during a playoff run, that won’t happen as the NFL does not permit alternate, rivals, or throwback uniforms in the postseason. During the playoffs, teams must wear their standard/primary approved home or road uniforms.
That includes the Super Bowl.
The Bills can...
