Giants Pocket Helmet Drop

I like this one! Riddell will drop at Giants pocket size throwback helmet today. It’s a reference to the 1937-47 leather wing front helmet.

Pocket helmet trivia. This is only the 2nd factory Riddell pocket helmet that references a leather helmet. The other is the 1948 Rams which was part of the throwback series 1 and throwback 2-bar sets.

Leather helmets as contemporary throwbacks. Six teams have worn leather helmets as throwbacks in modern times:

The Bears have wore the 1936-37 leather helmet as a every year since 2019.
The Packers wore a throwback of sorts in 2010-11. It might be a reference to their original helmet color in the 1920’s through the 1930’s.
The aforementioned Giants 1937-47 helmet worn in 2024.
The Eagles wore a throwback to their 1933 leather helmet in 2007.
The Steelers wore a plain black throwback in 1994 as a tribute to the 1942 team. The 1942 team only wore the plain black leather helmet for two games. I assume it was easier to just remove the sticker.
The Commanders wore a plain brown helmet in 2012 as a throwback to the 1932 helmet when the team was the Boston Braves. In 1994 and 2020 the Commanders wore a plain burgundy helmet with a yellow (1994) and grey (2020) facemask. These could be homages to the burgundy leather helmets the Commanders wore in the 1930’s and 40’s.

Throwback / Alternate / Primary Updates

All factory 2024 primary helmets are up to date. These can be purchased online or in pro shops. Riddell has done a good job staying on top of these.

Since Riddell likes to stick to contemporary alternate helmets in the most recent speed style, I would guess the next factory helmets will be the Broncos, Jaguars (white), Jets (2024 black), Texans, or Vikings alternates. I suspect the alternates from the previous few years for the Broncos, Browns, Cardinals, Colts, Commanders, Eagles and Saints would be a lower priority. In terms of a throwback, I would guess the Patriots or the Dolphins.

Recent *Factory* Throwback and Alternate Helmets

Throwbacks:

Buccaneers 1976-96 – released in 2024
Eagles 1970s80s – – released in 2023
Falcons 1966-69- released in 2024
Seahawks 1983-2001- released in 2024
Giants 1937-47- released in 2024

Alternates:

Bears 2022-present (orange)- released in 2024
Bengals 2022-present (white)- released in 2023
Cowboys 2022-present (white) – released in 2024
Lions 2023 – released in 2024 (very rare)
Lions 2024 – present – released in 2024
Packers 2024-present (white) – released in 2024
Panthers 2022-present (black) – released in 2024
Ravens 2024-present (purple) – released in 2024

Gaps in Throwbacks and Alternates:

Throwbacks:

Bears 1936-37 (three orange stripes) – worn since 2019.
Broncos 1976-78 – starting in 2024.
Browns 1957-59 (player numbers on helmet) – worn in 2006-08 and 2021.
Chargers 1961-73 (white helmet with player number) – worn in the early 2000s. Factory helmet exist in throwback sets, however.
Colts 1956-57 (white helmet with horseshoes on back) – worn in 2004 and since 2021.
Cowboys 1976 (red white blue stripes) – worn in 2021-22. Also available as a factory throwback, however.
Dolphins 1989-96 – wore in the 2003 Thanksgiving game.
Dolphins 1966-73 – wore since 2015 as a throwback.
Eagles 1933 – wore in 2007 as a throwback
Giants 1981-99 – wore since 2016 as a throwback. Factory traditional style helmets exist.
Jaguars 1995-12 (factory helmets exist in other styles, however. Revolution, traditional, and 2-bar) – starting in 2024.
Jets 1978-89 – worn in 2023 as an alternate. However, Jets adopted this helmet as their primary in 2024. So factory helmets are around.
Lions 1954-56 (plain silver with grey facemask) – worn periodically since 2017.
Oilers 1960-63 (columbia blue) – wore in 1994 and 2009 as a throwback. Factory throwback helmets in traditional and 2-bar styles exist.
Oilers 1975-96 – wore in 2023 as a throwback by the Titans.
Packers 1955-50 (plain yellow with a green stripe) – worn in 2001 and 2021.
Packers 1920s helmets (plain brown) – worn in 2010-11 and 2022.
Patriots 1961-63 – wore in 2009 as a throwback. Factory helmets exist in throwback sets, however.
Patriots 1964-81 – wore in 1994 as a throwback. Factory helmets exist in throwback sets, however.
Patriots 1982-90 – wore in 2002, 2010-12 and 2023 as a throwback.
Vikings 1961-79 – worn in 2007-11 and 2023 as a throwback

Alternates:

Bills 1994 (red)
Broncos 2016-2023 – color rush
Broncos 2023 (white) – old Broncos logo
Broncos 2024-present (white) – current Broncos logo
Browns 2022-present (white)
Cardinals 2016 color rush
Cardinals 2022-present (black)
Chargers 2016-18 color rush (white)
Chargers 2020 alternate (different bolt colors; Chargers wore three helmets)
Chargers 2020 alternate (different bolt colors; Chargers wore three helmets)
Colts 2023-present (black)
Commanders 2022-present (black)
Eagles 2022-present (black)
Falcons 2016-present (matte black)
Jaguars 2024-present (white)
Jets 1993 (green)
Jets 1994 (green)
Jets 2015-18 color rush
Jets 2022-23 (black)
Jets 2024-present (black)
Lions 1994, 2001-02 (plain silver helmet with blue facemask)
Lions 2003-04, 08, 10 (plan silver helmet with black facemask)
Packers 1994, 2013-19 (plain yellow helmet with a green facemask)
Saints 2022-present (black)
Texans 2022-2023 (battle red)
Texans 2024-present (steel blue)
Texans 2024-present (2024 red)
Vikings 2024-present (white)

Atlanta Falcons Pocket Helmet Drop

Riddell announced the drop of the Falcons 1966-69 throwback pocket helmet. It’s part of their 2024 limited edition series.

This should be straight forward, right? Well, kind of.

First, the pocket helmet is a 100% accurate depiction of the 1966-69 Falcons helmet: gold/white/black stripes, grey facemask, the feather has floating lines, and the arm and neck meet in a V-pattern.

Of course, the speed style helmet was not around in the 1960’s. The falcons wore it as a throwback in 2009 and 12. And again in 2022-23. The helmet is accurate save for one minor detail: the neckline. In 1966-69, the logo had a V-pattern. The throwback the Falcons have worn in the 20th century has a straight line between the head and arm. Look at the photo above and the photo below.

So, the pocket helmet is an accurate throwback in the speed style. The actual throwback helmet wore by the Falcons is not 100% accurate. This is a minor detail that may not matter to most collectors, if not all of them. Happy collecting!

May and June Updates

I had an incredibly busy 6 weeks. But am back! I want to express my appreciation to Michael Dole for the motivation 🙂

All of the team websites and the team checklists below have been updated. I will be busy the rest of the summer updating my collection and will post photos as they come in.

Riddell dropped factory primary helmets for 2024. These are separate from the recent “special edition” releases.

Broncos 2024 primary.
Browns 2024 primary.
Jets 2024 primary.
Lions 2024 primary.
Texans 2024 primary.

The fact these were released is a hint that these will be all of the primary helmet updates for 2024. These are available on various shopping sites.

Two special edition factory drops

Riddell dropped one factory throwback and one factory alternate for the Bucs and Panthers, respectively.

The Bucs helmet is a 1976-96 throwback. The Bucs wore this helmet again in 2009-12 and 2023-present as a throwbabck. Riddell previously manufactured this helmet in the 2-bar and traditional styles.
The Panthers helmet is an alternate the Panthers have worn since 2022.

Vikings alternate

The Vikings dropped a new white alternate. All indications are that the Vikings will continue to wear the 1961-79 throwback. The Vikings will wear three helmets in 2024. A factory pocket helmet has not been announced as of today.

New York Giants Throwback

For their 100th anniversary, the Giants will wear a blue wing-front helmet with a grey facemask. No factory helmet as of June 2024.

Ravens alternate

In April, Uni Watch released a rumor about the Ravens adopting an alternate helmet in 2024. The Ravens have been a model of consistency, wearing only one design since 1999.

Lions & Texans Updates

Lions

The Lions announced three helmets for next year. One is new. The other is a new alternate. The third is a throwback that was worn in 1949-56 and as a throwback in 2017 through 2020 and again in 2022 through the present. None of the three helmets have a factory helmet.

The Lions have been active in their helmets since 2000. Since 2000 (including 2024), they have worn five different official helmets, two alternates, and three throwbacks (the plain silver helmets with either a blue, silver or black facemask). That’s 10 different helmet styles in 25 years.

The silver helmet is basically the same as last years, with added white stripes, a blue facemask, and lighter blue Lion. The alternate replaces the light blue Lion and stripes with black. The plain silver helmet has been worn as a throwback for a while now. Interestingly, Detroit has worn the plain silver helmet at other times, but with blue or black facemasks.

See the Lions or Teams checklist sites for more details.

Texans

There is a rumor the Texans will have a new alternate next year. It will not have the traditional bull logo, but an H in what appear to be old Houston Oilers colors. We’ll see if that goes anywhere.