Detroit Lions' alternate helmet a little something old, something new and something blue

Allen Park — When the NFL announced it would allow teams to wear alternate helmet designs beginning with the 2022 season, 13 franchises immediately jumped at the opportunity.

That first wave of designs fell into one of two camps. There were teams like the New England Patriots, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, who paid homage to a classic look, leaning heavily on a retro logo. The others opted for a modernized color variation of their current design , such as Cincinnati's white helmet with their traditional tiger stripes, or black versions for Carolina, Philadelphia, Arizona and the New York Jets. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears inverted their traditional helmet and logo color schemes, going with a orange shell to complement their orange alternate uniform.

The Detroit Lions took a wait-and-see approach with the franchise already in the throes of a rebuilding and rebranding of the on-field product, under the new leadership of general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. Now, a year later, the team is unveiling its own alternate helmet, which offers the best of the aforementioned themes, highlighting a historical logo with a fresh and modern look.

For the first time in franchise history, the Lions will wear a logo the team utilized throughout the 1960's, just never as part of its uniform. A spinoff from the famous Ford Mustang emblem, it consists of silver and blue racing stripes behind a lean, angular lion. The same logo also has been incorporated into the team's 90th season jersey patch that will be used in 2023.

The 1960's logo will be situated on a matte blue-finished helmet, departing from the traditional silver, metallic look the team has worn for decades. The lion in the logo will be flipped, as to be facing forward on both sides of the helmet, while the racing stripes will remain unmirrored, with the silver stripe remaining closest to the front. The design is completed by a matte gray face mask.

It will mark the first time the Lions have worn blue helmets since 1955, two years before the team last won a championship.

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The design process, with helmet manufacture Riddell, began last spring and rapidly accelerated during the season. The Lions were presented with a half-dozen options from initial conversions, including white, chrome and blue metallic models, but the matte blue was the overwhelming favorite of the creative team, which was led by Emily Griffin, the Lions senior vice president of marketing and brand.

"We looked at the shells for a couple weeks, the metallic and matte shells, but knowing we were going to wear this on the field during our 90th season, with the essence of our 90th season campaign really celebrating the past, present and future, merging them together, not wanting to put all of our focus on history at this pivotal, exciting time for the club, this just felt right," Griffin said. "It's something we've never done with something that's classic. It met that theme."

NFL uniform guidelines only permit the alternate helmets to be worn with an alternate uniform, which includes both a throwback and an all-gray setup for the Lions. Given the awkward contrast between the new, modern helmet design and the throwback jersey, which is noted for its simplicity, the team only intends to wear the blue helmet with its gray uniforms.

The league previously had rejected alternate helmets out of concern for player safety. As part of the policy change, teams are required to obtain a full set of the new helmets for players before the season, with the alternates being the same make, model and size as their regular versions. The helmets are to be made available prior to the start of training camp and, at minimum, must be worn during the week of practice ahead of the games they'll be utilized.

The Lions' plan is to debut the look at home, in primetime, when they host the Las Vegas Raiders at Ford Field for Monday Night Football on Oct. 30. They'll utilize the blue helmets a second time, again at home, for the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. The date and time for that matchup is still to be determined.

NFL teams are only permitted to wear an alternate uniform three times during the season. Presumably, the Lions will wear their throwbacks for the third game, possibly for the Thanksgiving matchup against Green Bay.

In addition to the new helmets, the Lions remain on track to debut new uniforms in 2024. The two-year process, in collaboration with Nike, is ongoing with an unveiling expected next offseason. As part of that process, the new helmet should hypothetically pair with a new alternate uniform.

As with uniform changes, teams are required to stick with new helmet designs for five years, although there is potential flexibility to modify the facemask color and logo sticker within that five-year period, with prior league approval.

Fans will have an opportunity to preorder both full-sized and miniature versions of the new helmet design this week through Fanatics, with an expected July delivery date.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers