Bills Central

Red Return?! Bills Players Tease Throwback Uniforms

Will the Buffalo Bills wear their vintage, Super-Bowl era red helmets for a game this season?

Richie Whitt

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Whether savvy marketing ploy or sneak peek into the future, Bills Mafia was in a tither Thursday night after rumors about a return of Buffalo's famed red helmets were sparked by a couple of players.

Seemingly just part of a Labatt Blue beer promotional campaign, both tight end Dawson Knox and defensive end Greg Rousseau featured the the popular, throwback red Buffalo Bills' helmets from the 1990s in separate Instagram posts.

True to their DNA, Bills Mafia was quick to pick up on the ... coincidences or clues. In his photo, Rosseau has a red Bills helmet sitting on a Labatt Blue Light Box and the caption "Throwback Tea."

Though Buffalo wore the red for each of its four consecutive Super Bowl losses, it seems fans would be in favor of a return. The Bills debuted the red helmets in 1984 and last wore them in 2010 before the logo change in 2011 featured the current white helmets.

Quarterback Josh Allen created a buzz last season when he jogged out of the tunnel at Highmark Stadium wearing a red throwback helmet for warmups a pre-season scrimmage. At this time, Buffalo hasn't formally announced any vintage or retro uniform plans, even in the wake of the NFL's "one-shell" rule being lifted two seasons ago.

If the Bills are truly going "throwback", however, it seems they'd don the original white helmets with the standing Buffalo logo that were worn by the likes of Joe Ferguson, Joe DeLamielleure and O.J. Simpson in the 1970s.

Last offseason the New England Patriots pulled a similar stunt, with players teasing the team's vintage "Pat Patriot" helmet before wearing the throwbacks in a victory over the Detroit Lions in the regular season.

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Richie Whitt
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