Rule Change Opens Door For Seahawks' Throwback Threads in 2022
After years of anxiously hoping to see Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, and other iconic Seahawks sporting the franchise's original uniforms at Lumen Field, fans may finally soon get their wish.
As confirmed through a memo sent out to all 32 teams on Thursday, the NFL will be dropping its unpopular one-helmet rule, allowing for teams to begin using multiple helmets once again starting in 2022. The rule had been in place since 2013 and was instituted as a safety measure under the assumption players would be at greater risk for concussions and head injuries switching back and forth between multiple helmets.
Keeping safety in mind, the league will be instituting protocols to make sure all helmets are properly broken in and tested before being used in games. Teams will be required to purchase a second set of helmets for the entire roster that meet the same exact specifications as their primary helmet. Players will also have to wear the helmet during the week of practice leading up to the game they will be worn in to ensure proper fit.
It remains unclear whether or not adopting throwback uniforms with a secondary helmet will impact how many other alternate uniforms the Seahawks and other teams will be able to wear each season. Currently, the team has wolf grey alternates as well as action green "color rush" uniform sets that they rotate in with their primary navy home uniforms and white away uniforms.
In recent years, fans and many of the team's players, including Wilson and safety Quandre Diggs, had pined for Seattle's combination of blue jerseys, silver pants, and silver helmets worn from 1976 until 2001 to return. But the team wasn't able to accommodate to these requests because of the one-helmet rule, as re-painting their current navy shells wasn't a realistic option and the organization wasn't interested in wearing vintage jerseys and pants without the correct helmet.
But now, the Seahawks won't have to worry about that issue starting next year as long as they notify the league of their intention to use an alternate helmet before the July 31, 2021 deadline.
