A unique Chargers drop

The newest Pocket Helmet Limited Edition drop will be the Chargers color rush helmet. It has a gold bolt with a royal blue outline and gold facemask. The pocket helmet does not have the player number, so it’s not entirely ‘authentic.’ After I write about why this is such an unusual drop, I will present the recent history of this helmet follows.

This is unusual drop because the Chargers haven’t worn this style since 2023. Previous limited edition drops focused on the current (or just ended) year. But this one goes three years back, almost putting it in the category of a throwback. Maybe the Chargers will wear this helmet again in 2026? This drop also kind of opens the possibility of pre-2024 limited drops, like the 2023 Lions alternate. Which is the holy grail of speed NFL pocket helmets 🙂

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The Chargers switched to the white helmet in 2007. They had worn a white helmet in the 60’s and 70’s. Since 2007, the Chargers helmets have had several bolt color and outline variations. This is based on my research from the Gridiron Uniform Database.

  • Gold bolt with powder blue and navy outline, 2007-19
  • Gold bolt with navy blue outline, 2016-19
  • Gold bolt with powder blue outline, 2020-present
  • Gold bolt with dark royal blue outline, 2020-23
  • Navy bolt with navy blue outline, 2020-24

You may note the recent 2020-23 alternate drop is very similar to the 2016-19 alternate helmet, just with a different type of blue (navy blue vs dark royal blue). I will assume the blue outline is different. The colors did change, according to the Chargers branding sites. And they do look different on the Gridiron Uniform Database site. Riddell did not make a factory helmet for the 2016-19 alternate, so it will be difficult to compare.

The table below provides more details about the history since 2007. The full history is on my Chargers pocket helmet site.

YearsColorFacemaskLogoPocket helmet
2007-2018WhiteBlueGold bolt with powder blue and navy blue outline

Worn for one game in 2019 as an alternate		Revolution
Speed
2019WhiteGoldGold bolt with powder blue and navy blue outlineSpeed
2016-19 alternateWhiteGoldGold bolt with navy blue outlineNone
2020-presentWhiteGoldGold bolt with powder blue outline, Powder blue player

There is no player # on helmet on the factory pocket helmet		Speed
2020-23 alternateWhiteGoldGold bolt with dark royal blue outline

Royal blue player #

There is no player # on helmet on the factory pocket helmet		Speed – limited edition series
2020-24 alternateWhiteNavy blueNavy blue bolt with gold outline, Navy blue player #None
2025 alternate throwbackNavy blueNavy blueWhite bolt with gold and navy blue outline

There is no player # on helmet on the factory pocket helmet		Speed – limited edition series

An interesting Commanders redesign

The Commanders are switching to a new primary and alternate again in 2026.

At first, I thought the burgundy primary was the same as the 2025 alternate. It is in every respect except for one detail. The 2025 alternate had a matte finish. The 2026 primary has a gloss finish. The new Commanders primary (along with the new Titans primary) is available for a pre-order on the SESportsMemorabilia website.

The new primary is a clear homage to the 1972-2019 helmet design. The new alternate likely references the 1965-69 arrow helmet. The last time the Commanders wore that helmet as a throwback was in 2003.

What is interesting to me is that there is ZERO reference to the Commanders in this helmet design. In fact, it’s more of a reference to the past than the current Commanders team. I wonder what that means for the future.

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Patriots Alternate Rivalry & Bills Drop Promotions

With this announcement, Riddell is almost certainly going to release the 2025 rivalry alternates this year. This helmet has a muted white look with a washed out blue logo. It is kind of an underwhelming design, in my opinion. Riddell didn’t have a lot to work with here. But maybe when the physical helmet arrives, I will have a different opinion.

More information on my Limited Edition site.

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Bills Promotional Images

Every limited edition release had the same announcement branding, including the 2026 Seahawks. All of them are on the Limited Edition site, but a sample are below.

The 1987-2001 Bills throwback (from March), however, did not. The first image was from the release day, while the second is from the Riddell website. So, Riddell could be taking a new branding approach.

Interestingly, some of these Bills helmets are still available weeks later. Last year, they were selling out so fast. This surprises me as the Bills are a hot team. And these is a cool looking and unique helmet. We’ll see how the Patriots helmet does.

Limited Edition | Open Catalogue | Riddell

Bills Throwback Drop!

The Bills 1987-01 throwback dropped today. I love all the Bills logo and helmets. It might be my favorite (and that’s saying something as a Chiefs fan!) Some limited edition helmet facts:

  • 42nd overall limited edition helmet
  • 2nd in 2026 (out of 14)
  • First Bills limited edition
  • 16th limited edition throwback
  • The 3rd red limited edition helmet (Texans alternate and Falcons throwback). According to Trucolor.net, the Bills helmet is a scarlet red. Other sources refer to it as plain red.
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The Bills have worn four different versions of the red helmet, all between 1987 and 2010 (and the 2026 throwback). They are listed below, along with their pocket helmet history.

  • 1984-1986: Royal blue facemask, white-red-blue stripes – throwback series 2
  • 1987-2001: White facemask, white-red-blue stripes – traditional and chrome
  • 2002-2010: White facemask, white-blue-silver-black stripes – traditional, chrome, revolution
  • 1994 alternate: Plain white Bill logo, white facemask, white-red-blue stripes – no factory helmet

New Titans Primary and Where to get Pocket Helmets

This is the 3rd Titans design and 10th re-design if including the Oilers history (11th if one includes the 1975-96 style, which had a grey and then a red facemask). Read more about the new brand here.

When some sports teams move cities, they make a clean break with their previous brand (like the Ravens or Brewers). Even the Houston Texans colors lean into the Oilers’ colors. The Titans strongly lean into their Oiler history with this new helmet. The rebrand theme is “Born in Oil, Refined into Titans.” It honors both their history with the colors and their current city of Nashville. Note the stripe mirrors guitar strings. I don’t normally like letters in logos, but I think the “T” in the helmet works well by suggesting a shield or “Titan like” weapon.

Interestingly, this is the first Titans/Oilers helmet to have a white facemask. Other colors have been grey, red, or navy. The lighter blue is slightly different than the light blue the Oilers wore. According to teamscolorcodes.com, the Oilers light blue was simply “Light Blue.” This Titans light blue is “Titans blue.” The navy is “Titans navy.”

Where to get factory helmets

A question that comes up a lot is: Where can I buy the factory pocket helmet? I get my factory helmets in one of two places:

  1. SE Sports Memorabilia. I have no stake in this business, but they have great customer service, reasonable prices, and fast shipping. I usually wait until the late summer or early fall so I can bulk order all the new primary helmets. Prices range from $6-8 per helmet.
  2. Ebay. Some sellers on eBay somehow get their hands on new releases before everyone. Expect to pay more on eBay, but you will likely get your helmet sooner. That’s not a criticism of the sellers, by the way. All the sellers I have purchased from on eBay have been awesome. It’s just a business decision.
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Speaking of ebay sellers, some really nice new Titans custom primary helmets have popped up. The photo below is from picksixpreviews. Good job!

Seahawks alternate and other factory helmets

My Seahawks alternate rivalries helmet arrived. It’s really nice!

Here are the three factory helmets from 2026.

The Seahawks are one of few teams that have a factory helmet for each era:

YearsColorFacemaskLogoStripesPocket helmet
1976-82SilverGreyClassic SeahawkNoneThrowback Series 1

Throwback 2-bar
1983-2001

2023 throwback		SilverBlueClassic SeahawkNoneTraditional/ Throwback Series 2

Chrome

Speed â€“ limited edition series
2002-11TealTealModern SeahawkNoneChrome

Traditional

Revolution
2012-presentTealTealModern SeahawkTapered blue stripeRevolution

Speed
2025 rivalries altnerateIridescent green with metallic chrome finishIridescent green Rivalries SeahawkSpeed – limited edition series

The first 2026 drop: Seahwaks alternate

They’re baaack!

Riddell released the first of what is promised to be 14 NFL pocket helmets in 2026: The Seahawks rivalries alternate. I would assume they will release the other 2025 rivalry alternates in 2026 as well. 525 of each will be released in 2026, or about one every three weeks. Riddell has also released “non limited edition” helmets (like the Bengals orange speed, Bengals white speed, and Eagles kelly green speed), so there could be more on their way.

Riddell also changed the branding announcement. The announcement brands for 2024 and 2025 are on my limited edition website.

There was a little sticker shock…$20! I hope this will not foreshadow all of them will be $20 in 2026. The Seahawks helmet does have unique painting, so maybe that’s the reason. It looks pretty good.

Assuming the other rivalry helmets are included this year, that leaves room for six more. Also assuming the 2025 Bills throwbacks are included this year, that leaves room for four more, possibly newer throwbacks or alternates in 2026. Primary helmets, of course, would not be part of limited edition series releases.

Happy collecting.

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Commanders drop!

Well, we have reached the end of the 2025 limited edition series. It’s a good one, IMO: A homage to the classic helmet of the 90’s. A lot of people were hoping for the Bills, but this is nice. Surprisingly, the Bills had zero helmets in the limited edition series, as did the Rams, Raiders, Chiefs, and Bengals (although the Bengals alternate is available online).

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The Cowboys had the most limited edition helmets with three. Teams with two helmets were the Commanders, Giants, Packers, Bears, Vikings, Saints, Jets, Patriots, Browns, Jaguars, Texans, and Broncos. The NFC had the most (8), followed by the AFC south and NFC north (6).

Who’s left?

Riddell pretty much covered 2025 throwbacks and alternates, with 11 exceptions. Maybe they’ll appear in 2026:

  • Bills 65-73 throwback (factory helmets are in the traditional and 2-bar styles)
  • Bills 87-01 red throwback (factory helmet in the traditional style)
  • Lions 55-56 plain silver throwback (also worn in 2017-20 and 2022 through 2025)
  • Cardinals, Bills, Rams, Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, 49ers, and Seahawks rivalries

Or they could go back to 2024 (4 helmets):

  • Chargers alternate with the navy bolt and yellow outline
  • Packers plain yellow-grey facemask alternate (worn in 2001 and 2021-24)
  • Saints 1976-99 throwback (worn in 2011, 2017 and 2022 through 2024)
  • Steelers 1974 throwback (essentially the same as the current helmet with a grey facemask)

2023 would also be cool (5 helmets). That’s the year of the honolulu blue Lions helmet with the mustang logo, the white Broncos with the D logo, the Jets black alternate, the Texans red alternate, and the other Chargers alternate (yellow blue with royal blue outline).

Final 2024-25 Limited Edition Checklist

See the Limited Edition site for more details

Throwback / Alternate

  • Total: 40
  • 2024: 15/15
  • 2025: 25/25
  • Throwbacks: 15
  • Alternates: 21
  • Alternate throwbacks: 4

NFC: 23

  • East: 8 – Commanders 2, Cowboys 3, Eagles 1, Giants 2
  • North: 6 – Bears 2, Packers 2, Lions 1, Vikings 2
  • South: 4 – Buccaneers 1, Falcons 1, Panthers 1, Saints 2
  • West: 3 – 49ers 1, Cardinals 1, Rams 0, Seahawks 1

AFC: 17

  • East: 4 – Bills 0, Dolphins 1, Jets 2, Patriots 2
  • North: 3 – Bengals 0, Browns 2, Ravens 1, Steelers 1
  • South: 6 – Colts 1, Jaguars 2, Texans 2, Titans 1
  • West: 3 – Broncos 2, Chargers 1, Chiefs 0, Raiders 0

2024 Limited Edition Speed Series (1 of 2000): release date – team and details – manufacture date

  1. 2024/03/07: Dallas Cowboys 2022-present alternate – 2023/11
  2. 2024/03/28: Seattle Seahawks 1983-2011 throwback – 2023/11
  3. 2024/04/18: Chicago Bears 2022-present alternate – 2023/11
  4. 2024/05/09: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976-96 throwback – 2023/11
  5. 2024/05/30: Carolina Panthers 2022-present alternate – 2023/11
  6. 2024/06/20: Atlanta Falcons 1966-69 throwback – 2023/11
  7. 2024/08/01: Green Bay Packers 2024-present alternate – 2024/05
  8. 2024/08/15: Detroit Lions 2024-present alternate – 2024/05
  9. 2024/09/05: Baltimore Ravens 2024-present alternate – 2024/05
  10. 2024/09/12: New York Giants 2024 throwback throwback – 2024/05
  11. 2024/09/26: Denver Broncos 1993-96 throwback – 2024/05
  12. 2024/10/17: New England Patriots 1982-90 throwback – 2024/05
  13. 2024/11/07: New Orleans Saints 2022-present alternate – 2024/05
  14. 2024/11/18: Miami Dolphins 1966-69 throwback – 2024/05
  15. 2024/12/19: Houston Oilers 1981-96 throwback – 2024/05

2025 Limited Edition Speed Series (1 of 525): release date – team and details – manufacture date

  1. 2025/01/23: Philadelphia Eagles 2022-present alternate – 2024/05
  2. 2025/02/06: Minnesota Vikings 2024-present alternate – 2024/09
  3. 2025/02/20: New York Giants throwback (GIANTS logo) – 2024/09
  4. 2025/03/06: San Francisco 49ers throwback – 2024/09
  5. 2025/03/20: Houston Texans 2024-present alternate (H logo) – 2024/09
  6. 2025/04/10: Washington Commanders 2022-present alternate — 2024/09
  7. 2025/04/17: Dallas Cowboys white throwback – 2024/09
  8. 2025/05/01: New York Jets 2024-present alternate – 2024/09
  9. 2025/05/14: Jacksonville Jaguars 2024-present alternate – 2024/09
  10. 2025/05/29: Chicago Bears 2019-present throwback – 2024/09
  11. 2025/06/12: Cleveland Browns 2023-present alternate – 2024/09
  12. 2025/06/26: Indianapolis Colts 2023-present alternate – 2024/09
  13. 2025/07/10: Denver Broncos 2024-present alternate – 2024/09
  14. 2025/07/24: Arizona Cardinals 2022-present alternate – 2024/09
  15. 2025/08/07: Minnesota Vikings 2023-present alternate throwback – 2024/09
  16. 2025/08/21: Houston Texans 2024-present alternate – 2024/09
  17. 2025/09/04: Dallas Cowboys 1976 throwback – 2024/09
  18. 2025/09/18: New York Jets 1965-77 alternate throwback – 2025/09
  19. 2025/10/02: Jacksonville Jaguars 1995-2008 throwback – 2025/09
  20. 2025/10/02: Cleveland Browns 2025 alternate – 2025/09
  21. 2025/10/30: Green Bay Packers 2025 throwback – 2025/09
  22. 2025/11/13: New Orleans Saints 2025 alternate – 2025/09
  23. 2025/11/20: LA Chargers 2025 alternate throwback – 2025/09
  24. 2025/12/11: Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 alternate throwback – 2025/09
  25. 2025/12/18: Washington Commanders 2025 alternate – 2025/09

Steelers drop, pt. 2

My new Steelers drop arrived today. Riddell really stepped up their game with this one. It’s sharp.

Thanks to Cole Thompson and Steve for clarifying some things about the Steelers drop. Let’s take a look.

It only resembles the Revolution pocket helmet from 15 years ago. (I have two of the Revolution helmets and the date stamps are June 2010 and July 2011).

The 2025 speed helmet has a matte finish and grey facemask. And there is a black circle around the Steelers’ logo.

It is the fourth gold pocket Steelers helmet.

The two helmets are the left and identical styles. They are in the throwback series. The far right is the 2007-11 revolution alternate throwback.

The logos are different on all three of the styles and reflect the different eras.

Pittsburgh Steelers Logo, symbol, meaning, history, PNG, brand
Pittsburgh Steelers - Wikipedia

Steelers Drop!

If this looks familiar, it’s because Riddell released a revolution style helmet about 15 years ago. The Steelers wore it as an alternate throwback between 2007 and 2011. I say alternate throwback because the actual gold helmet the Steelers wore in 1962 read “Steel,” not “Steelers.” The difference between the 2025 alternate throwback and the 2007-11 throwback is that the 2025 helmet has a grey facemask.

This is the 4th alternate throwback from the limited edition series, the others being the Chargers, Vikings, and Jets. It’s also number 24 out of 25 for 2025 (and 39 out of 40 for 2024). Whew. My pocket book needs a break 🙂

With one week left, we still have the white Bills and red Bills throwbacks, the Colts throwback, and the Commanders alternate throwback. I’m betting the next release will be the Commanders.

Click here for the updated checklist.

May be an image of football and text that says 'Steelers'