The Eagles, who announced way back in March that they’d have a black alternate helmet this season, finally went ahead and unveiled the new lid today. As expected, it’s simply a black version of their standard green helmet. It will be worn with their miserable black alternate uniform for two or three games that will be announced at a later date. You can see additional photos of it here.
As black alternate helmets go, this one is particularly pointless, because the team’s dark-green helmets already look almost black when worn with the black uni, especially during night games:
The good news, such as it is, is that this helmet will be worn for only one season and will then be replaced by a Kelly green throwback helmet (and accompanying uniform) in 2023.
Eleven NFL teams so far have added a second helmet color for 2022. The other 10 are Falcons (red throwback), Patriots (white throwback), Saints (black alternate), Commanders (black alternate), Texans (red alternate), Panthers (black alternate), Giants (navy throwback), Cowboys (white throwback), Jets (black alternate), and Bengals (white alternate).
I gotta say I didn’t expect so many teams to unveil alternate helmets especially since it took years to get the one shell rule changed.
Agreed.
I still think the NFL didn’t want to have coaches delve into uniform gamesmanship, since it’s the multimillion-dollar quarterbacks who have to judge which color of helmets to throw to.
Are all the new black helmets the same? Lol
I don’t understand why they don’t have kelly green as their primary uniform.
You and literally millions of us here in Eagles Nation.
The Eagles have always been one of the worst offenders of BFBS. Buddy Ryan (the most beloved coach in NFL history who never won a playoff game) wore black on the sidelines and it took off from there.
Already looking forward to 2023 when kelly green makes its triumphant return.
This is a well-known story. When Jeff Lurie bought the team, his then wife didn’t like the Kelly green. They changed to the midnight green they now have. They’ve had very good success in this color and don’t choose to change it.
Their current roster lives the black uniforms.
The Kelly green alternates are delayed because Nike doesn’t have Kelly green in their color palette and are having difficulty matching the color. This is much like when they first got the NFL contract and the Eagles had to wear all white for the first half of the season because Nike couldn’t match the midnight green either.
Oh FFS…
Lee
I miss the one-shell rule already.
5 black
3 white
2 red
1 blue
The best of the alternates is probably Carolina, while the best overall is New England.
They both are alternates so which is better?
meh much ado about nothing
Eagles fan here. I’m so sick of the black uni and the fad in general…should have died in the mid 2000s!! Even so, this black helmet could have been so much better. This is so lazy. It’s the same stickers on a black helmet. That’s it. There’s no pop to the wings at all, and their current helmet looks black in most lighting anyway! Disappointing for sure, but I’m looking forward to the Kelly green next year!
Joe, I was hoping the BFBS would have died out when it was shown how many urban gang members wore “pop color” caps of red, navy, black, purple, or gold when they were shot.
Let’s face it, people. The reason why all this has happened is because New Era started doing land-office business selling black Dodgers caps in South Central in the early 80s. Then, the White Sox went from blue and red to silver and black. The rest, as they say, is history.
Eagles fan here also and I totally agree. They should have never even gone with the black to begin with way back when. I remember being underwhelmed when it was released and feeling like the black fad was already played. Now it’s how many years later and I can’t believe this abomination is still around.
Being serious here-how could a black Eagles helmet be made better?
Please don’t suggest green wings!
How about full silver wings, not the half silver-gray/half white things they have had since the switch to midnight green?
Good question and one reason I just wouldn’t do one! Haha. That being said, if they went with a throwback like all white wing with maybe minimal silver accents? I don’t really know!
I am also sick of the BFBS trend.
Why just not make home uniforms mono black and for road games, just change the jersey to white with black numbers? Then everybody concerned could get all the BFBS fill they need.
The jets seem to be the last team standing (correct me if I’m wrong because I love thinking about unis) that knows exactly what the fans want and simply will not give it to them.
Ok I’ll correct myself because the Seahawks fans would love to get that silver helmet back but I know that city fully embraces the navy and lime and has no problem with the aggressive Haida logo vs the traditional.
That said, much like the chargers and padres before them, the eagles for some reason refuse to capitulate to an overwhelming outcry from fans. It’s like ownership wishes they were Steve Jobs (“consumers don’t know what they want until I tell them what they want”) but it just ain’t true.
In the jets helmet post some commenter tried really hard to make the anti-BFBS sentiment about race or some crap, but whatever, it’s not about a distaste for black in general.
Me personally, I LOVE the panthers and saints new helmets going black, it’s small issues with the execution that bother me there. And those teams have black as a primary color in their tradition.
Here with the eagles we have a team that never did have black as a primary color, then chose to make it one for no other reason than they were jumping on a fading consumer fashion trend, but it’s been around so long now that they seem to feel justified in calling it a traditional team color (I suppose they’d be right, unfortunately).
It’s like squatter’s rights. The black color didn’t belong in the design language but now it’s been there so long that it’s irrefutably protected, whether we like it or not.
To the specifics of this helmet, it sucks. For one, it doubles down on the the BFBS look which I hate for the eagles. For another thing, it’s a lazy color swap (like all the ninjas in mortal combat). And finally, design wise, there is very little contrast for a team whose mascot it a soaring majestic symbol of our nation. Panthers (many of them) are all black. Jets can be stealth. Ravens are all black. Raiders (thieving pirates) lend themselves to dark, macabre imagery. Eagles, man, I know their not green, but there’s just a visual disconnect between what I feel about eagles and stealthy, militaristic, techno look of an all black modern football jersey.
This is somehow worse than the Jets helmet.
At least it has eagle wings. It mystifies me the Jets headwear has no jets at all involved. Granted this is a bigger problem than just the black helmet but they could have at least put one on their alt.
The only teams that should have the option of black jerseys or helmets are the Raiders, Saints, Panthers, Steelers, Ravens, Falcons, Bengals, and Jags. And even the Jags are pushing it because I think they look better when they use teal and gold more.
“Tickers” should be it’s own item on the menu bar rather than be inside the “Posts” menu. Would reduce the number of clicks to get to tickers without really adding any clutter.
I like this. I still miss the one post a day with all the sides but I am adjusting.
Ugly and pointless. Yuck…
The helmet … meh
Releasing 15 photos of a black helmet with a black facemask on a black background? Why even bother, Eagles.
Maybe I’m old and grouchy but I’m done with dark publicity photos of dark things photographed in the dark. At least this one didn’t have fog.
Pointless.
Aren’t these only for a year? Pretty sure the Eagle said they have every intention of making the kelly green their alt in 2023. Luckily that would make these very temporary (until they inevitably come back again and never go away).
Um, it says right there in the article that it’s only for a year.
Black and green can look good. But .. uhhh. This looks terrible. I’m not a fan of the midnight green in general, it’s too dark and muddy, even with the metallic sparkles in the helmet. I think black would look better with kelly green, but really I think the Eagles should go back to kelly and silver. That’s a good combo.
Totally agree. I want the grey pants back!!
OK so this helmet is terrible for the Philadelphia Eagles. SO freaking lazy. Make the helmet black instead of green and call it a day, brilliant. I’ve been extremely critical of the Eagles this entire process but I do like how this is a metallic black rather than satin, matte or gloss. Was hoping that since they were 100% going with a black helmet they would have had a silver or chrome facemask.
With that being said, it would be a gorgeous helmet for any college/HS team named the Eagles who have black as a primary color. Just not the Philadelphia Eagles.
One thing to note, and this supports my theory that they are going with a full uniform overhaul in 2023 back to Kelly Green, is the fact that there isn’t a single drop of midnight green on this helmet. It could easily be transitioned to a secondary helmet to a full time Kelly Green uniform.
I don’t know that I would like this as an alternate for a kelly green uniform. If they aren’t doing a full throwback (Cunningham Era bird on sleeve or Jaworski Era with stripes… guessing the former, Nike) with silver pants, I hope at least for a reasonable update. The Cunningham Era used black for detail on the eagle and around the numbers. And nowhere else. And that was fine. There was no black anywhere else on the uniform, so a black helmet would look really off IMO.
My hope is that all these teams doing black alternate helmets – with the almost excellent and needed exception of Carolina – are simply throwing all of their garbage out there to sell a little merch while delaying the gratification of the throwbacks. Then when the do bring those out, they’ll sell A LOT of merch.
That said, I’ve long suggested to friends that the NFL do what I call #TBTNF, Throwback Thursday Night Football, and make it a mandatory throwback game. I hope the shell rule getting lifted will make that dream come true. Let the Texans do a fauxback, and roll with it. Even make it Color v. Color, which as this site knows, is miles different than Color Rash.