First LOOK: Bills Sport New Nike Uniforms! (Sort Of)
No, the red helmets haven't returned. But if you look closely, you'll notice that the Buffalo Bills have made some adjustments to their uniforms ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
As Uni Watch noted back in April, the Bills are one of 11 NFL teams switching to Nike's F.U.S.E. template for the 2023 season. They join the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans.
This isn't something the average fan will even notice, but for those interested in the aesthetics of sports, the adjustments made to the collar of Buffalo's uniforms will be apparent:
Best comparison photo yet of the new Nike FUSE Template. Note not only the collar differences, but how the jersey is cut too. Not as smooth as it once was with the deep V cut coming from shoulders, “breathe holes” also return, & BILLS word mark lower from the shield bc of the V. pic.twitter.com/hYCH1fficG
— Buffalo Bills Uniform Tracker (@BillsUniTracker) June 22, 2023
Since the Bills ditched their disastrous 2000s uniforms and returned to a more classic look in 2011 -- the final year that Reebok served as the NFL's uniform manufacturer, before Nike took over in 2012 -- they have now seen five different collar updates, per Uni Watch.
![](https://www.si.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Ch_2000%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_2000/MTk5MTQ5MDMyODQzNTE5OTU2/bills2.png)
![](https://www.si.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Ch_2000%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_2000/MTk5MTQ5MDM2MzMzMTgwNjg5/bills.png)
![](https://www.si.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Ch_2000%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_2000/MTk5MTQ5MDM5MDE3NTM1NDQ0/bills-3.png)
![](https://www.si.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Ch_2000%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_2000/MTk5MTQ5MDQwMzU5NzEyNzI0/bills-4.png)
While we would argue that the current helmets the Bills wear are actually better looking, Buffalo wore a primary red helmet from 1984-2010. While they never got over the hump and hoisted a Lombardi Trophy, the Bills did win four AFC titles in the 1990s while donning the red helmets, so they hold a special place in the hearts of Buffalo fans.
So when quarterback Josh Allen wore a red helmet to match the team's red alternate jerseys during a Training Camp practice last summer, it caused a stir:
Josh Allen in the red Bills helmet 👀
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 6, 2022
(via @BuffaloBills)pic.twitter.com/M1VijGhDm7
Since Allen was seen wearing a red helmet, there hasn't been any update from the Bills on whether this could actually be worn during a game. But given that the NFL ditched its controversial one-helmet rule last season, the guess here is that red will eventually return to the rotation as an alternate lid.
You can follow Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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