The Buffalo Bills will wear their nostalgic red helmets for the first time since 2001 when they host the New York Jets in Week 18, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.
After 24 years, the Bills are bringing back the headgear to commemorate the final home game at the current Highmark Stadium. Starting next season, the team will play at the new Highmark stadium, right next door to their current address in Orchard Park.
The Bills wore their red helmets from 1987-2001. With the bold, red base, the helmet features the blue and white logo on the side and a white facemask.
“There’s no better way to celebrate our fans and honor our team’s history by bringing back the red helmets,” Bills Chief Operating Officer Pete Guelli said in a statement. “The Bills provided this region with some of the most incredible moments in franchise history in the 1990s wearing these helmets and we feel this is a great way to commemorate the closing of Highmark Stadium in our regular season finale.”
Apart from the mask, the team will bring back their vintage “Standing Buffalo” uniforms twice this season. The helmet featuring a red silhouette of the Buffalo logo was memorably paired with their white jerseys, an ensemble introduced in 1962 and making its way back for Week 5 in Atlanta and Week 11 against Tampa Bay. Buffalo last wore the vintage combo on October 31, 2021, in a 26-11 win against the Miami Dolphins.
While giving an ode to their past, the Bills’ present offers fans plenty of promise. Buffalo has made it to the divisional round of the postseason every year since 2020, making the conference title game in 2020 and 2024.
Behind MVP Josh Allen, the Bills finished atop the AFC East with a 13-4 record this past season. They took down the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game.
