Ravens new helmets have everyone excited for the upcoming NFL season

There aren’t many ways to rile up NFL fanbases in the middle of June. Here, in the dead in-between of minicamp and training camp, teams are in the midst of introducing new schemes and laying the groundwork for the upcoming season. Aside from early position battles, it’s too soon to know what roster decisions will be made come August. 

One brilliant way to get fans in the headspace of the NFL season is by going an alternate route: unveiling an updated wardrobe. That’s exactly what the Baltimore Ravens decided to do when they rolled out their new helmet design, which is the first-ever purple helmet in the team’s nearly 30-year history. 

Ravens roll out first-ever purple helmet for alternate uniforms

The helmet, which has been dubbed “Purple Rising”, will be worn for one game in the upcoming season. The helmet will be paired with the team’s purple color rush uniform and was designed to create a cohesive, monochromatic look. 

Along with the new primary color, the helmet features a few distinctive features such as using gold for the helmet's stripes and facemask as well as a twist on its usual Ravens head logo. 

"We're putting this on top of an existing uniform combination that we have," explained Ravens senior vice president of marketing Brad Downs. "We decided not to roll out a new alternate uniform with the alternate helmet.”

Downs added that the helmets have been in development for years and feature input from fans, which resulted in a multitude of design options.

"I think I had at least 14 options of helmets, and that doesn't even include swapping decals, locals, stripes,” Downs said. “We narrowed it down to two, and this is the direction that we went."

The helmet features a forward-facing logo, which the team has rarely used in the past. The helmet is accented with gold face masks and gold talon stripes on top of the helmet.

"It wasn't always (going to be) gold," Downs said. "We had a black facemask. We had purple facemask options with black helmets. When we landed on the color rush, it made it a no-brainer to bring that gold facemask."

"[Head Equipment Manager] Kenico Hines has been instrumental in the process," Downs continued. "It's amazing how quick they can change out facemasks and decals. We looked at every finish you can imagine. We wanted to do something different. We looked at black helmets with different finishes. Just the way this purple color popped with that finish and matches the uniform, it's great. When we got the color and the finish out of the box, it was close to a no-brainer."

While the Ravens know when they will be wearing their new alternate helmets, they aren’t ready to announce that information just yet. 

"We do [know which game], but we're going to save that one,” Downs said. “Got to leave the fans wanting a little more. One game is the plan for this year."

In the past, color rush uniforms were typically reserved for Thursday Night Football, and teams have typically brought out alternate designs against division rivals. In 2024, the Ravens are scheduled to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, November 17.